One Day They'll Understand
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: Jaune and Blake are dating. No one else really gets it.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hey there, thanks for checking out my latest story which just so happens to also be another (Jaune x Blake) story. What can I say, it's my OTP. Even if it is a bit of a crack ship. Actually, it being a crack ship is the whole reason I'm even writing this. If you look at it only from the actual Canon of RWBY, the two of them have as far as I can recall zero interaction. So the point of this story is to kind of pick on that and have Jaune and Blake already dating much to the complete and utter bafflement of the rest of the cast. New chapters will always be from someone new's perspective. Ren is the lucky one starting them off though.

Anyways, this is set several weeks after the episode Dance, Dance, Infiltration and diverges from there. This is just meant to be fun so I'm hoping you get some amusement out of it, even if just a little. I'll consider it a win if you do. So having said all that, let's get this show on the road!

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**One Day They'll Understand**

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Jaune and Blake were currently dating.

To reiterate that: Jaune Arc, one of the most awkward guys in the entirety of Beacon was currently dating Blake Belladonna, one of the most reclusive girls in the academy.

Or so Jaune claimed anyways. Blake had never affirmed this but the fact was she never denied it either, which to everyone else might as well be an affirmation in and of itself.

Everyone not Lie Ren that is.

Ren...he simply didn't get it. No matter how hard he tried or how many times he looked at it he just couldn't possibly conceive the very notion of it.

It wasn't that he believed Jaune was lying about going out with Blake. No, as far as he was concerned Jaune full-heartedly believed that he and Blake were currently dating right now and was going about his life without the slightest bit of doubt. He could be kind of naive like that. That wasn't to say Ren thought Blake was stringing Jaune along either though. She hardly seemed the type to do something so inherently cruel to another, especially when one considered how highly she valued equality above all else.

However, it just didn't make any sense to think a girl like Blake would ever be interested in a guy like Jaune. The only way Ren could possibly rationalise what had happened was Jaune had somehow mistaken some kind words or actions from Blake as romantic interest and had decided to pursue a relationship. Either Blake had been too shy to turn him down or hadn't wished to hurt his feelings by rejecting him as bluntly as Weiss usually had no trouble doing. In the end though this could only end worse for Jaune than outright rejecting him would. He tended to bounce back pretty quickly every time Weiss had rejected him after all. This was just giving him false hope and nothing hurt more than having your hope brutally dashed.

In short, he was very worried about Jaune. He didn't say it aloud but he truly did consider him to be the brother he never had and he looked up to Jaune as a leader and a reliable friend. So it was only natural that he would be wary of something he thought might hurt his friend, unintentional or otherwise. At the current moment, he just didn't see how this relationship could end in any way other than Jaune getting hurt as he looked across the library at the very two people he was currently thinking about.

Jaune and Blake sat side by side which shouldn't have been odd seeing as they were supposedly going out with one another. The problem was with how they were spending their time. Jaune was talking exaggeratedly while waving his arms animatedly to emphasise whatever tale it was he was currently weaving for his less than enthused girlfriend.

Blake on the other hand didn't appear to be paying attention as her eyes darted back and forth across whatever book she was reading. At one point she even flipped the page! She seriously wasn't paying any attention to him at all! He had to calm down. If Ren thought about it analytically he was angry at Blake for reading a book in a library. It was a cold day in Hell, indeed.

In all seriousness though, shouldn't she be...he didn't know, actively engaging Jaune in conversation? She could at least look like she was trying to pay attention to him. She didn't have to act like she was enjoying it but anything would have been better than just outright ignoring him.

Maybe he should say something to them? At least to Jaune? He didn't want to see his friend get hurt but maybe it would be better to let him down gently now instead of letting the hard truth that Blake just really wasn't into him crush his soul at a later date. He let out a tired sigh and flipped his own unread book closed as he resolved himself to do just that. As he began to rise from his chair though, an unexpected shout caused him to turn towards the door.

"There you are Jauney boy!" Yang called as she strolled purposefully into the library, her younger sister, Ruby, trailing just behind her. "Oh, even Blake's with you. Purrfect!" She stopped just next to the table Jaune and Blake were seated at before placing her hands on it and leaning forward.

"What's up, Yang? Heya Ruby!" Jaune leaned back in his chair as he smiled at the sisters. Blake only glanced up from her book for a minute to give a nod of acknowledgment before going right back to reading.

"Really, that's all the greeting you have for your partner and leader? We're hurt!" Yang clutched her chest in mock pain as she let out an exaggerated groan of distress. After only a moment of this she quit when Blake gave no outward reaction. "Bah, you're no fun. So anyways- Jauney boy!" She turned back to him and gave a dramatic point.

"Still here, Yang." He gave her a goofy thumbs up along with his signature cheesy smile to show that he was still waiting to find out why she had come looking for him.

"Rubes and I are heading into town to do some shopping. It would really help to have a big, strong man such as yourself accompany us." She winked at him suggestively and leaned her body over the table to accentuate her figure.

The old Jaune would've blushed such a deep shade of red he likely could've been compared to Pyrrha's hair and he without a doubt wouldn't have been capable of forming a coherent response to such blatant flirtation. The Jaune that was dating Blake however merely offered an apologetic smile without the slightest change in his complexion. "Sorry, I wish I could help you out but Blake and I are on a date right now." He inclined his head slightly towards Blake who didn't give any reaction at all as she continued to read the book.

"Date?" Yang asked incredulously while conspicuously checking their surroundings. "You're in a library." She deadpanned.

Jaune merely shrugged. "It was Blake's turn to choose."

Ren quirked his eyebrow just as Yang did the same. He hadn't thought this was supposed to be a date between them either. When he had come in they had already been here so he'd just taken a spot a few tables away so as not to disturb them. Yet the whole time he had been here they hadn't done anything at all for him to assume this was a date. In fact, he was pretty sure Blake hadn't once said anything since he'd come in.

"Come on, Yang." Ruby tugged on her sister's elbow as she pleaded quietly with her. "We shouldn't be interrupting them."

Yang glanced back at her sister who was desperately struggling to pull her away before giving Jaune and Blake one last unconvinced looked. At least Ren knew he wasn't the only one that had doubts about their whole relationship. "Alright, I look forward to hearing all about the rest of your _date _later tonight, Blake." Yang grinned teasingly at her partner but once more got no reaction before she decided to finally let Ruby drag her off.

The moment they had walked out of the library Ren got the rest of the way out of his chair and began to amble over towards his leader. He felt a little bad seeing as he was about to interrupt them for the second time consecutively but he felt the need to talk to Jaune even more urgently now than ever. Blake almost clearly didn't view this as a date and just wanted to enjoy the day reading. Apparently her selective hearing was just strong enough to tune out Jaune as she did that.

He circled around their table and just as he was no less than fives paces away from them he went to clear his throat when Blake finally began to say something. "...If you wanted, you could've gone with them." She spoke quietly and if Ren hadn't been as close as he was he wouldn't have been able to hear her at all. What's more, she sounded slightly dejected as she said those words which only added to his surprise. "I know this must not be the most exciting way to spend your day off."

Jaune gave an amused snort and Blake lifted her head away from the book for the first time to look at Jaune. As she did though, the contents of the book became visible to Ren as well and his eyes widened in shock. He had read that book before, rather...Jaune had shown him some pages of it once. It was an Arc family album that was brimming with pictures of a younger Jaune and his seven sisters.

She hadn't been reading...she had been looking at pictures from his childhood. That meant those stories Jaune had been telling weren't wild tales for her to ignore, they had been about the exploits behind some of those pictures and she had almost without a doubt been listening intently as he filled her in on all the memorable times he had while growing up.

"I really like flipping through this book." Jaune spoke slowly as he let himself get swept away in nostalgia. "I...really miss all of them, my sisters. When I look through the pages though and remember all the silly things we used to do they just feel...closer, you know?" Jaune turned his head and Ren knew his blue eyes made contact with Blake's yellow ones. "It made me really happy when you said that you wanted to know more about them. There honestly isn't any other way I would rather spend my day than telling you about this book." He patted the pages fondly as he continued to give a soft smile.

"Jaune…" Blake mumbled quietly before quickly glancing left and right. Ren must have just been outside the range of her vision because once she thought the coast was clear she leaned forward and quickly pecked Jaune on the lips before turning back to the book and pointing at another picture. "Tell me about that one."

"Sure." Jaune gave a small smirk but appeared to decide against remarking on her flushed face as he launched into yet another one of his long-winded stories.

As quietly as he could, Ren backed away from the two of them. He would hate to interrupt now and he felt absolutely horrible for having doubted either of them. He didn't understand how, why, when, or what had caused Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna to start going out but if he was being honest he really didn't care.

Jaune clearly liked Blake.

Blake for some reason or another was enamoured with Jaune.

Maybe one day he would understand what had sparked this unusual relationship.

For now though, he wasn't really going to worry about it and just let them enjoy their date.


	2. Chapter 2

Yang's chapter: Set approximately several months into Jaune and Blake's relationship.

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**One Day They'll Understand**

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Yang Xiao Long liked to think she knew a good prank when she saw one.

And Blake going out with Jaune absolutely had to be a prank.

There was just no way it wasn't.

Jaune and Blake would've had to have secretly started hanging out without anyone knowing to have progressed far enough to be dating and the odds of that happening were almost surely impossible. Seriously, Jaune was hardly the most discreet guy in the world even if Blake was. There was just no way they had hit it off enough to start going out. Besides, what would a babe like Blake have to gain from dating such a ordinary guy like Jaune? Naturally, that meant this whole thing being a prank was the next most obvious answer.

Who was the exact target of their prank? Well, she supposed everyone in the school. As far as she knew, absolutely everyone was thrown off by the sudden development that was this new relationship, even Ren and he hung out with Nora for crying out loud! You would think he of all people would understand it the most but he was just as baffled as the rest of them.

While Yang could appreciate a good prank and she had to admit this one was hilarious; the look of pure astonishment on Cardin's face made her laugh to this day, there came a point where the prank had been taken too far and you were supposed to come clean. That was the best part after all. Once they announced it was all a big prank, they would be able to tell who had actually been caught by it and everyone could share a good laugh.

If one continued the prank as long as Jaune and Blake had though, it got to the point where it would no longer be funny and everyone would just be mad at the two of them for lying to them all this time. That's essentially what it had turned into, one big lie. If they had just come and consulted her first she could've warned them of this but now it was too late and they were going to have to suffer the consequences of taking a prank too far.

Okay, so maybe she was a little sore from having been left out of the loop from something that could've, and for a time, was so catastrophically funny. Seriously, she was Blake's partner and as such, Blake knew she loved good pranks and she could've helped them maximize its potential.

But no, they just had to keep her out of the loop. What's more, they didn't even tell Jaune's partner, Pyrrha, which had been kind of messed up too. Blake knew how much she liked Jaune even if he was oblivious to it himself. She should've at least been considerate enough to tell her so no one's feelings were hurt in the mix. Pranks lost their value if someone was seriously hurt after all. There was prankster code, damnit! A code!

She supposed there was also the possibility they were doing it to make someone jealous. Blake tend to be someone that beat around the bush so maybe she was doing this so Pyrrha would be more willing to open herself. Once she confessed, Blake would reveal the truth and then everyone would be happy. Or maybe Jaune had wanted to do this in a vain attempt to make Weiss jealous and Blake had simply agreed because it would be a harmless way to spite the heiress in the process.

Regardless of what it really was, it was high time the two of them came clean already. The suspense of it was killing her and once they told them all it wasn't real they could just leave the whole thing behind them.

She continued to stare at the bottom of the mattress above her as she waited quietly for Blake to return to their room from one of her and Jaune's "dates" as they so called them. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait much longer as the door creaked open and she turned to see her partner walk into the room, albeit with a slightly conflicted look in her eyes and a noticeable hitch in her step.

"Blake, you alright?" Yang immediately sat upright on the bed and called out to her in concern, most of her earlier thoughts now in the back of her mind. She could worry about that stuff later, if something was bothering her partner that obviously came first.

"Oh, Yang." Blake seemed to only now realize that there was someone else in the room. She made her way over to the desk and pulled out a chair before plopping ungracefully into it. "I'm fine...it's just...I don't know."

"Does it have to do with Jaune?" Yang asked without even thinking. Afterall, Blake was making that face right after getting back from hanging out with him so it was natural to assume he was the cause.

"..." Blake averted her eyes and suddenly found the ceiling very interesting as she twiddled her thumbs. Yang quirked her eyebrow at her strange behavior and just waited patiently for a response as her eyes bore into her partner unrelentingly. Finally, Blake let out a tired sigh and brought her eyes down to meet Yang's. "Can I trust you with something personal? You have to promise not to make fun of me."

"Me? Make fun of you?" Yang pretended to act hurt as she clutched her chest and raised a hand to her gaping mouth in mock shock. "I would never dream of it!"

"Yang, I'm being serious. You know I'm not good at this 'girl talk' stuff." A small hint of frustration leaked into Blake's voice before it almost immediately dissipated and was instead replaced with minute amounts of desperation. "You're the only one I can talk to about this."

"Alright, alright." Yang waved a hand in front of herself as she offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll do my best to not pick on you, but no promises. You know I can't always resist."

Blake's eye twitched as she glared at her for another half-minute before finally relenting. "I suppose that's all I can ask." She began to tap at her knee anxiously as she appeared to try and decide how to proceed. "So...Jaune and I have been dating for awhile now."

Yang's eyebrow arched in surprise. It wasn't the information that caused this but it was that Blake was the one to say it. For as long as the two of them had been keeping up this ruse it had never been Blake to verbally confirm that they were actually dating. It was naturally Jaune who did all the talking as he happily showed off his beautiful girlfriend. So hearing it from Blake was a little odd and actually threw doubt into Yang's whole prank theory. No, she couldn't falter now. That was possibly what Blake wanted and she would not give in. The moment she finally started to believe them was the moment they would reveal the truth and she would look like a fool.

So without saying anything she merely nodded for Blake to continue. "Well then, I think maybe...I'm falling in love with him."

"..."

"..."

"...What?" Yang asked incredulously.

Wait, wait, wait!

What was she saying? This was all part of the prank. It absolutely had to be for the prank. There was no way Blake Belladonna just admitted that she was falling for Jaune Arc. Absolutely no way. What if maybe she meant that this whole thing had started as a prank but along the way she started to genuinely have feelings for him? No, no. Maybe? What was happening right now? She had no idea.

"I'm kind of surprised too." Blake continued on, apparently thinking Yang's own shocked silence was normal. "I mean, when we started dating it was just because it was fun hanging out with him. He just has a way to make even the most mundane things interesting. Now though, it's different. It's like...everything about him makes me feel warm inside. Even just thinking about him now makes me really happy. I...can't explain it well, but it just feels right. Am I making sense?"

No, she was not making any sense. Blake falling in love, she was Miss Analytical, it was just preposterous to think anyone would make her talk about feelings of love, let alone Vomit Boy. This absolutely had to be a prank. In that case, she would call her bluff and up the ante. "Why don't you tell him?" She smirked as she asked that question, satisfied she had found a way to catch Blake once and for all.

Blake's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly shook her head. "There's no way I could do that. What if it freaks him out?"

"What's the matter, Blake? I thought you were part cat, not chicken." Yang stuck out her elbows and flapped her arms as if she had wings. "Or do you just not want to have your prank exposed?"

"Prank?" Blake tilted her head curiously and Yang clamped her mouth shut. Oh crap. She hadn't meant for that last part to slip out, she had just gotten a little too amped up in her teasing. Before she could say anything more though a look of realization dawned on Blake's face. "I get it. I'll tell him jokingly. If he responds well I can make sure he knows I'm serious. If not I'll just play it off as a prank." Blake jumped to her feet and ran for the door. "Thanks Yang, I'm glad I talked to you after all." Before Yang had a chance to respond, Blake was out of the room and the door slammed shut.

"...You're welcome?" Yang had no idea what just happened. Was she seriously going to confess? Did that mean this really, in all actuality wasn't a prank and Blake had genuine romantic feelings for Jaune? It certainly kind of seemed that way, didn't it?

The door opened back up and Weiss walked in, looking curiously backwards as she did. "Blake was certainly in a hurry to get somewhere. What was that about?" She asked as she turned to look at the only other occupant of the room.

"What if I told you she was on her way to confess her undying love to Jaune Arc?"

Weiss' nose crinkled and her mouth twisted in disgust. "I would shake my head at you and scoff at your poor taste of a joke."

Yang shrugged. "Well, she went to confess her undying love to Jaune."

Weiss shook her head and scoffed as she went over to her desk.

Yeah. That was definitely the right reaction.


	3. Chapter 3

Cinder's chapter: Set approximately one year into Jaune and Blake's relationship. Sorry in advanced if this one got a little off-the wall. It was a blast to write though.

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**One Day They'll Understand**

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If there was one thing Cinder Fall hated with a burning passion it would have to be the unknown.

Which only made sense, she was running a huge, multi-faceted, underground criminal-terrorist organization while plotting to take down the four great nations of the world. For someone of her stature she had to make dozens of plans daily and for every plan she made she needed to create counter-measures to ensure those plans went off without a hitch. Of course, no plan survived contact with the enemy but so long as she knew her enemy she would be assured of her victory.

For the most part things had been proceeding smoothly and every day it looked like her plans were drawing closer and closer to fruition. She could almost taste the sweet victory and couldn't wait to finally clutch it with her own two hands. Like with all dreams though, a small bump in the road had caused her to stumble and commanded her attention. Others thought she was being ridiculous for paying such extreme scrutiny to something that seemed so utterly minor in the grand scheme of world domination. What they didn't understand though was this was possibly the biggest obstacle to their plan Cinder had ever encountered.

What warranted it such a credible threat that it needed to be deemed immediate top priority? Why the answer to that was simple: It was an unknown. And anyone that knew Cinder knew she hated unknowns. Now what was this unknown that had Cinder so worked up? Well, anyone in Beacon would immediately understand her pressing concern whether they knew her or not, because none of them got it either. Simply put, Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna were dating.

How? Why? Just what in the name of Dust was going on in the world that those two would start going out with one another? Cinder had no idea and she couldn't stand not knowing. In order to make sense of this she had to discover how the whole thing had even started to begin with. To do that, she had to first analyze who exactly Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna were. So she put her top analysts on the job, regardless of the cost to the organization, this was critical information and she needed all the facts. They would just have to rob a few more banks to cover their expenses. Roman had been needing to get off his ass and do something useful anyways.

The results she received...were less than satisfactory. Jaune Arc, the blundering buffoon of a leader of team JNPR, was about as interesting as Port's long-winded ramblings, in other words not at all. He was about as normal as normal came, right down to his choice of weapon. In fact, the most interesting thing about him was that he kept the company of the four time Mistral Regional Champion. That was fine though, her men were able to explain that. Apparently Pyrrha Nikos felt alienated because of her fame and Jaune was someone unabashed by her status. That was nice, that made sense. Cinder could understand and rationalize that.

What she couldn't rationalize was Blake Belladonna deciding to get together with such a mundane human. Especially seeing as she used to be a very proactive member of the White Fang and protege to Adam Taurus, himself. How a girl went from their human-hating organization to dating the most average human alive Cinder might never know, and she couldn't stand not knowing.

Teams JNPR and RWBY were close, practically inseparable. It was reasonable to assume that at one point their relationship started thanks to this bond. At least, that was what she expected to hear back on. Instead, she didn't hear anything at all. According to her analysts, it was like magic. One day the two of them had never so much as had one conversation with one another, the next they were suddenly holding hands as they walked down the streets of Vale.

By all accounts, it didn't make sense.

That was what they said. It didn't make sense. Useless, they were absolutely useless. Without hesitation she had them all killed and their bodies disposed. There went another small fortune just having that done. Twice now she had spent a considerable amount of money and it was all because of this horribly irrational couple. Any sane person likely would've given it up for a lost cause. What did it matter two hormonal teenagers decided to hook up? Odds are they would break up in a few short weeks anyways. Cinder however, she was in too deep. The more she found out about Jaune and Blake the less it made sense. The less sense it made the more she wanted to know. It was a vicious cycle of which there was no escape for her. She would find out the secret behind them dating if it cost her every last penny she had.

Which unfortunately, is exactly what it ended up doing.

No matter how much money and resources she threw at the problem it refused to be solved. She attempted every angle she and her associates could think of. She indiscreetly paid people to ask their teammates.

That had been fruitless.

Turns out, they were just as confused as the rest of them. Some help they were. So instead she turned to the teachers. Surely they were privy to the ongoings of their students and would be capable of shedding some light on this dark mystery. What she found: they were completely astounded. Never seen anything like it, they said. How could they have never seen anything like this?! They taught thousands of students trained to fight terrifying creatures of darkness! You would've thought they had seen it all, but apparently not.

She spent money on psychologists but even they couldn't answer her conundrum. Sometimes teenagers just don't make sense. They said that as if it answered everything. She refused to accept this as a reasonable solution.

She put constant details on them. Every moment they were together, she knew about it. Yet they never did anything that helped her understand. Why? Why couldn't they just make this freaking easy on her? Did they have any idea how much they were ruining her life? Of course they didn't. That idiotic couple was obliviously happy spending their time doing nothing that had any relevance to anything whatsoever.

Meanwhile, she was now broke, the White Fang left scrambling to get money and being forced to sell their Dust and illegal weapons just to feed themselves. Her dreams and aspirations were practically in shambles and she was still no closer to the truth. The only people still by her side were Mercury and Emerald. They were the only two left she could count on anymore.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she once more browsed all the documents and receipts on her scroll. She, along with her only two remaining allies were in Beacon's cafeteria getting an early brunch for the weekend. She preferred it at this time because there were far less students which meant far fewer prying eyes. Not that Mercury wouldn't be capable of taking care of anyone that got too close anyways.

The documents...well, they were useless. No matter how many times she read the reports there was nothing that helped her figure out why or how the two of them had come to be an item. She needed another angle. What route hadn't she explored yet? Did it even matter? She was bankrupt, she couldn't afford to pay anyone to get her information anymore. She wouldn't have been able to afford the dish in front of her if Emerald hadn't jacked some poor sap's wallet.

"You know something just occured to me." Mercury mumbled quietly from just next to Cinder and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to see him rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Has anyone ever thought about just asking the two of them directly?"

The gears in Cinder's brain ground to a halt.

Emerald let out a scoff of disgust. "Are you an idiot? Don't you think that was the first thing those stupid investigators did?"

Cinder pulled up the necessary document and Mercury snapped his fingers the moment he laid eyes on it. Cinder was busy scanning the document but Mercury was already verbally confirming what she was now realizing. "No, those hacks asked their teammates. They never talked to the two of them directly."

"What's your point?" Emerald sighed like she was talking to a child and placed the palm of her hand on her head. "They were trying not to arouse any suspicion. Besides, their teammates didn't know anything and they surely asked the two of them before our guys ever got to them."

"No, they didn't." Cinder spoke quietly but almost immediately Mercury and Emerald clamped their mouths shut and gave her their undivided attention, waiting for her to elaborate. It was so simple though.

Everyone was baffled by this suddenly odd relationship. So baffled no one even thought to question them directly because by doing that it was like they were actively admitting to the two of them that they didn't get it. So everyone kept their mouths shut and instead rumors spread like wildfire, the truth becoming buried in a pile of obscurity when in reality no one except the two of them had any idea what the truth was to begin with. This extended to even their closest friends and teammates.

All this time and all that money. Wasted. The White Fang was nearly done-in by starvation and barely had the equipment to complete a simple robbery. Many of their members had quit simply to get minimum-wage jobs so they could support themselves. All of this had happened because no one had realized that the simplest way to the truth was to ask Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna directly.

"I can't count on anyone." Her eyes flared dangerously as she got to her feet. "I'll get the truth myself." This was the only course left for her. She was done playing games with the two of them. She would ask them herself.

"Convenient timing too. They're right over there." Cinder followed the thumb Mercury hiked over his shoulder to see Jaune and Blake seated at the other end of the cafeteria. Just the two of them. Perfect, finally something was going her way.

Without saying a single word she stalked over to the two of them, her eyes never letting either of them out of her sight the whole time. Other students had to double-take when she walked by and she realized her Aura was flaring dangerously and her eyes were practically ablaze with fury. She needed to calm down, she couldn't talk to them if they thought she was ready to murder them. She had to be calm, cool, and collected, exactly like the model student she always pretended to be.

As she got closer to them though that got increasingly difficult, especially as she watched them interact.

"This is harder than it looks." Jaune grumbled as he tried and failed to use a pair of chopsticks to grab a piece of sushi from the roll placed in front of him. After several moments of attempting he finally got it off the plate and into the air only for the sticks to snap shut and the sushi to pop up over the top before tumbling back to the table. "Ah man!"

"You're seriously still having trouble?" Blake sighed as she used her own chopsticks with practiced ease and picked up a piece of sushi and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered slightly for a second as she chewed her food. It must have been tuna, her favorite. Cinder knew far too much useless information about them thanks to her efforts.

"Can't I just have a fork or a spoon or something?" Jaune looked hungrily at the food in front of him. "I'll even use my hands at this point, I'm so hungry and you're making it look really good."

"Hmm." Blake frowned in contemplation for a second before her eyes lit up and she grabbed another piece with her chopsticks and held it up between them. "Here, say 'Ahh'." She smiled coyly with a small blush on her face as she waited for him to respond.

A huge grin spread across Jaune's face before he immediately opened his mouth wide. "Ahh." Blake placed the food in his mouth and he began to chew, making a satisfied moan as he did. "Wow, this stuff really is pretty good. I don't suppose it would be too much trouble to ask you feed me another?"

Cinder couldn't watch this sickeningly sweet display anymore. Unbeknownst to her, she had been rooted in place for a few moments now as she just watched them interact. She raised a hand to her mouth and cleared her throat just loud enough for them to hear.

"Eep!" Blake let out a small cry and her face turned dark red as she went back to her food as if nothing had just happened between them. Jaune meanwhile, turned to look at Cinder without even a slight blush at having been caught doing something so embarrassing. This was also the very man that walked into a dance surrounded by his peers while wearing a dress. Something like being fed by his beautiful girlfriend wasn't even worth fretting over after a stunt like that.

"Hey, can I help you...uhhh…" He paused and his eyes became worried as he failed to recall her name.

"Cinder." She supplied for him and he snapped his mouth shut. "I apologize for the interruption but I just couldn't help but notice the two of you and recognized you as the couple everyone has been talking about." She hated the sickeningly sweet tone she was forced to use when interacting with other students. Nevertheless, this was crucial. So she sucked it up and gave her most sincere smile as she talked to them.

Jaune shared a quick glance with Blake before looking back to Cinder and shrugging. "People are still talking about it? I thought it would've been old news by now." These two really had no idea how much this tripped people up, did they?

"Why yes, and there are quite a few different rumors going around about how the whole thing started. Now forgive me for being so bold, but I was wondering if I could ask you what it is that sparked the romance between you two? I'm sure it must be quite the story." Blake eyed her warily as she asked and for a moment Cinder wondered if her pseudo-persona had been seen through.

Fortunately for her though, Jaune appeared much more at ease and gave a comforting smile. "...It's not really all that special." As he talked his face twisted as if something dawned on him at just that moment. "You know, now that I think about it, we've never told anyone how we started going out."

"That's because no one asked." Blake deadpanned.

Cinder knew it! How could everyone in the entire school and even in the White Fang be so stupid to not just ask them?! It didn't even sound like they had been trying to keep it a secret.

"Oh, well anyways-" Jaune shrugged it off. "-we just happen to run into each other at the bookstore one day, the comic section specifically, and just started talking. I discovered Blake was actually pretty cool and asked if she wanted to start hanging out. I guess you could say the rest is history?"

"..."

Cinder's eye twitched and her smile nearly snapped.

That...was it?

That was all he had to say?

There was no way. Absolutely no way the two of them had started going out because of something as mundane as that. Where was all the action? The drama? This was simply too ordinary to possibly be true. Were they taking her for a fool? Did they have any idea what she had lost before finally coming to ask this question?

She would incinerate them.

No, screw that. She would burn down the whole world.

With her fake smile still in place and that disgustingly sweet voice that she hated she thanked them before bidding farewell.

She had work to do if she was going to make things happen. Her hatred for the entire world had returned ten-fold. Was it kind of silly deciding to restart her plan to burn the world down because of something so simple? She didn't think so.

After all, Jaune and Blake got together over something so trivial. She should be allowed to burn down the world for something equally trivial.

First, she just needed a new plan. And money. And probably some new allies.

Damn it.


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby's chapter: Set approximately a few weeks after the last chapter. This chapter was a little more difficult for me to write as I used to be an adamant Lancaster shipper so that bled over a little into this one.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

The first thing everyone always asked when they found out Blake Belladonna and Jaune Arc were dating was this: What the Hell did a quiet, beautiful girl like her see in a dork like him?

It was probably a fair question. After all, most people didn't know Jaune all that well so to them he just looked like a blundering buffoon swinging around a rinky-dink sword. He wasn't especially talented nor was he highly intelligent. He wasn't an idiot by any means although he did say dumb stuff from time to time. Getting off point here, it was understandable that most people didn't understand what Blake saw in Jaune because they simply didn't know them.

Ruby Rose however, she knew Jaune, and unlike everyone else at Beacon she wondered the exact opposite: What was it that Jaune saw in Blake?

Jaune, for all his faults, was a great guy. At least Ruby thought so. He could be socially awkward but there was a certain charm about the way he carried himself and tried to brazenly start conversation despite being such a horrible conversationalist. He may not have been the best fighter in the world but that never stopped him from pouring his heart and soul into trying to improve, all so he could become better at protecting others. If that wasn't the very definition of admirable she didn't know what was.

Perhaps most importantly, he was kind. Not many people would've stopped to offer their hand to a complete stranger. Especially one that had just created a crater in the ground. Yet that was exactly what he had done, just one lonely person offering his company to another and they had been friends ever since.

So yeah, she could see what it was Blake had seen in Jaune.

Now it wasn't that Ruby thought Blake was a bad person. She was a great one and Ruby loved her like a second sister. However, she was a very different type of person than Jaune was. His head was in the clouds while Blake's was grounded in reality. They were both in a way socially awkward but Jaune made strides to break out of his shell while Blake seemed content to remain cocooned within her's. He didn't mind being in the spotlight whereas she refused to normally be dragged into it. No matter how Ruby looked at it, someone like Blake must have surely been boring for someone like Jaune to date.

She meant none of these thoughts to come across as mean or conceited, even if they did feel that way and sometimes she felt awful for having them about two of her best friends but she couldn't stop herself from thinking this way at the same time. She just absolutely had to know, what was it that Jaune saw in Blake?

For instance, what was it she had that Pyrrha Nikos didn't? Pyrrha was his partner and his best friend in the world. She would be with him through thick and thin with a smile on her face. She trained him regularly and constantly watched over him like a silent protector. Add to all this, she was completely smitten with him. So it was just plain odd that Jaune would choose Blake, who had done none of these for him, over her.

What did Blake possess that would draw his attention away from Weiss Schnee? He had been absolutely enthralled by Weiss' beauty and had at one point spent his every waking moment thinking of and trying to woo her, not that it had ever been successful. Blake was certainly a beautiful woman, but it was in a very different way than Weiss, although she doubted Jaune was someone so shallow to be attracted to another solely for their looks alone.

Still, Blake and Weiss were entirely different in personality as well, which begged the question, did Jaune just not have a particular type? Or had he just gotten so tired of the rejection from Weiss that he settled for someone different? But if he was going to pick someone with a different personality from Weiss...maybe he should have chosen someone similar to himself? Like...her, for example?

Ruby blushed as she thought this. Okay, she would admit it. Maybe, just maybe, she was a little bit interested in Jaune too. Why was that so bad? He was a great guy! So maybe it hurt a little that he didn't even seem to consider her at all.

"Hey, Ruby!" She was prompted out of her thoughts by a familiar voice and she quickly took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of one of Beacon's hallways, on the way back to her dorm room after her last class. With her books pressed up against her chest she turned around to regard the very boy that had her so lost in thought.

"I've been calling you for awhile now." Jaune casually strolled up to her but despite his words he didn't seem the least bit frustrated and instead gave her his usual awkward smile.

Ruby blushed as she looked at that smile and tightened her grip on her books while her other hand brought the hem of her cloak up in vain attempt to hide her reddening face. "Sorry, I was just thinking...about stuff."

"Oh?" Jaune tilted his head quizzically in a manner she found absolutely adorable. "Anything I can help you with? I still owe you for that one time you talked me out of my depression. Us leaders gotta stick together." And in a way very like him, he offered his help and reminded her all over again why it was she liked him. He offered his help without restraint, hoping he could be of service to someone, going so far as to claim it was because he owed her a debt, but she knew better. Jaune would've offered his help whether he felt he owed her or not. That was just the type of guy he was.

Unfortunately, this wasn't something he could help her with. Well, technically he was the only one that could help her but she could never ask him to do that. It was beyond unfathomable for her to try and steal Jaune from Blake. As much as she liked him she would never risk her friendship with the two of them. They were both important to her, after all.

"It's not really that big a deal." She averted her eyes as she lied to him and twisted her heel against the ground. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah," Jaune pointed his finger in the air as if he only just remembered he had been the one to stop her. Typical, he had been so concerned about her he had almost forgotten himself. "I actually wanted to see if you would come out to Vale with me this weekend."

Ruby's eyes widened and immediately darted back to Jaune's face to see him smiling just as awkwardly as ever at her.

What? What was happening right now?

Was...he asking her out?

"What about Blake?" Before she could stop herself the question tumbled out of her mouth. She didn't regret asking it either. Part of what she liked about Jaune was his chivalry, but if he had become someone that would hurt her friend and then immediately ask her out, then he wasn't who she thought he was.

Jaune waved his hand dismissively. "Right, you have to do me a favor and not let Blake know. After all, I want to get her something really nice for her birthday and I'm hoping you can help. We're still having that party for her next week, right?"

Oh. Of course that was what it was. She had forgotten that Blake's birthday was coming up. She felt both relieved and at the same time disappointed to find out he wasn't asking her on a date. What a weird, confusing feeling. She liked it more when weapons were her only real interest. "Why do you need my help? You should be able to pick out something for her without me." She felt a little horrible speaking to him this way but the idea of helping him shop for another girl was almost equally as painful.

"...Actually, can I tell you something?" Jaune scratched his cheek nervously and let out a small chuckle and Ruby realized he was blushing now. Immediately curious, she nodded. "I really wanna go above and beyond for her birthday. This'll be the first one we've celebrated together, she didn't exactly let me know last year when it came around. I wanna make up for that. Also, I really wanna let her know how much I care for her...and well, I'm real thankful that she even agreed to go out with me. It still surprises me to this day that she did."

"Jaune…" She hadn't expected him to open up to her like this. It also surprised her to know he was just as baffled as most of them that Blake would actually even entertain the idea of going out with him.

"Don't get me wrong, I mean, I am quite the catch." Jaune ran his hand through his hair and gave his signature charming smile before he once more returned to a more serious look. "It's just that, when Blake and I started going out it was kinda whimsical, you know? I don't think either of us expected it to evolve into this. I feel like I've really fallen for her...and I think...well...I hope she feels the same."

"She does!" Ruby interjected before she could stop herself. "You've really changed her, Jaune. You have no idea how much she's always thinking about you. Even when she's in our room I can tell she's thinking about you just by the way she stares at the door. The two of you…" ...truly make one another happy.

Her eyes widened in realization as the words died on her tongue.

All at once it clicked.

Most people were so puzzled by the absurdity of them getting together they never actually watched them as they interacted. The small smiles with a faint blush Blake would give him from time to time was more than enough proof that Blake was in love, nevermind the fact that she went out of her way to spend time with him, foregoing even quiet reading time. She had never seen her so happy, which was a little frustrating in and of itself. Ruby had thought that her and her teammates would be the ones to drag Blake from her deep-rooted despair, but in the end it had been Jaune.

Maybe because it was Jaune? Sun had been unable to truly do it, but Jaune had. He had truly made Blake happy. Perhaps it was because Blake could see how happy he was to spend time with her too? They never did anything out of the ordinary; just average, everyday things. Yet he was always grinning like an idiot every moment he spent with her. At least, every moment Ruby had ever been privy too. In other words, Blake made Jaune happy and in turn he made her happy. It was like some odd happiness cycle.

Maybe she was oversimplifying it now? Now that she thought about it, she tended to always oversimplify things and there was nothing wrong with that. The best things in life were simple. And it was certainly best to believe that the thing Jaune saw in Blake was happiness and that was why he chose to be with her.

A small smile spread across her face as she had these thoughts. She still liked Jaune, but it was also true that she always liked Blake as well. Even if sometimes it hurt, she would do whatever it took to make sure they remained happily in love. As long as they smiled she knew she would be able to find it in her to smile too. "So when did you want to head to Vale?"

Jaune's face immediately lit up at her question. "So you'll help?"

Ruby pumped her fist in the air as she tilted her head and smiled broadly.

"We'll make it her best birthday ever!"


	5. Chapter 5

Nora's chapter: Set approximately two years into Jaune and Blake's relationship.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Nora Valkyrie had been thinking.

Despite what most people thought, this wasn't unusual for her. She was always thinking, after all. What kind of person didn't ever stop thinking? Regardless of what others thought though, they weren't mistaken in that normally, Nora never took the time to sit down and think things through very carefully. Normally just enough thought to acknowledge something was enough for her and she could never understand why people wanted to linger on things for so long. That was just boring.

That was what she thought until now. However, she had finally come across something that made her just want to linger. To mull it over and explore the possible options. As one at Beacon might have come to expect at this point, the very thing that was causing such a change in demeanor for the normally hyperactive girl was the current relationship status of Jaune and Blake.

The two of them had been together for nearly two years now and while most people had either accepted it for just being strange or simply quit trying to figure it out, Nora was different in that it was only just now starting to strike her as odd. Most would call her slow to the party, but that was because they didn't know Nora. You see, Nora was only finding it odd now because it was really starting to look like Jaune and Blake might actually work out. As far as she could tell, they were perfectly happy still. Now Nora was by no means a pessimist, but she had been almost sure that when Jaune and Blake started going out it wasn't going to last.

That may have sounded harsh and it probably was, but Nora had a good reason to feel this way and that reason was one Lie Ren. She...loved Ren. She figured she probably always had. How could she not love him? They had been together since childhood and she had never met anyone like him since. He was quiet, reserved, cool, handsome, strong, etc, etc. In other words he was perfect. At least Nora thought so.

Someone like that had no business to still hang out with someone like her, someone that was loud, abrasive, rambunctious, talkative...well, you got the point. They were almost polar opposites. Yet he stayed by Nora all this time without a single complaint and somewhere down the road she had fallen for him. Despite feeling this way, she also accepted one simple fact: They could never be together-together.

Being together as friends was one thing. But if they got together-together then everything would change and she wasn't sure Ren would still be willing to stay with her even as just together after they attempted to be more. So she buried her feelings and settled for what she had. She would be happy enough with just that. Or so she had thought. She had grown complacent and in her complacency Jaune and Blake had become a couple and that very fact challenged everything she had been telling herself about her and Ren's dynamic this whole time.

Blake was very much like Ren. She was quiet, book-smart, instead of handsome she was beautiful, and an incredibly logical person. In that same vein, Jaune was more like herself. He was clumsy, loud, talkative, and had a tendency to ramble pointlessly. Add to that and they had a barrier separating them that Ren and Nora didn't even have. She was a Faunus and he was a human and even though the gap between the two species had been getting considerably smaller lately since the fall of the White Fang there were still some boundaries that society wasn't entirely ready to tackle yet.

So at first she didn't pay it much thought because when they broke up they would only confirm what she had known from the beginning, that her and Ren couldn't ever be together-together. Now though, they had been together-together two years and appeared to be going stronger than ever. What...did that mean? Had she been wrong all this time? Was there actually hope for her unrequited love? It certainly was starting to seem that way but Nora had to know for sure. She couldn't risk everything simply because it seemed to be panning out for them now.

Now if only she could find them. She had been skipping around Beacon for most of the afternoon but with no luck. Maybe Blake was rubbing off on Jaune and he was slowly becoming more stealthy like her? That sounded kinda nifty. They could be like an ultimate ninja team, taking out their enemies before they even knew they were there. No! Bad Nora, she had to keep focused. She had to find them.

Let's see, they weren't in any of their usual spots. She had checked the rooms of both teams, the cafeteria, the library, she had even roamed the hallways before determining they weren't on Beacon grounds. Naturally, the next place she decided to look was the Emerald Forest. Most people wouldn't immediately think two people would head out there of all places to be alone, but then again, Nora wasn't most people.

After wandering the woods for awhile she came across a river where she finally found them, just like her Valkyrie-senses had predicted! Okay, so maybe she didn't really have those but nevertheless she had been successful in her quest so that had to count for something. Still, it was odd that they had come out here of all places although now that she looked at them a little more closely it was starting to make sense. Jaune sat cross-legged at the bank of the river, a fishing pole cast in front of him as he sat and waited patiently for something to bite. Blake sat next to him, her bow conspicuously absent and her cat-ears exposed as she leaned her head on Jaune's shoulder while sitting right next to him.

It was a serene scene, almost too much so for one to want to ruin it. Unfortunately for them, it was Nora that had found them and she had no such reservations as she sucked in a big breath before bellowing "I found you!"

Blake let out a loud yelp and practically flew to her feet as she spun around and readied Gambol Shroud. Jaune reacted much more passively as he turned his head to give Nora an annoyed grimace. "Seriously Nora, you're going to scare away the fish shouting like that." Apparently being on her team for so long made him naturally immune to her surprise visitations.

"Sorry, Boss-man!" Nora whisper-shouted as she gave him a formal salute and an apologetic smile. "I'm just so excited I was able to find you. I looked high and low, up and down, left and right, north and south, to and fro-"

"We get it." Blake sighed as she pulled out her bow and tied it back on her head to conceal her ears. "So what did you need with Jaune?" She got right to the point, which Nora could appreciate. After all, she wanted to know what she was supposed to do in regards to Ren as quickly as possible and Blake was likely anxiously looking forward to eating the fish that Jaune was trying to catch for her.

So she got right to the point too. "Are you two getting married?"

"..."

"..."

For some odd reason neither of them said anything. She knew she had spoken loudly enough. They were in the forest after all and there was no one else around so they would've heard her even if she had whispered instead of whisper-shouted. Yet the two of them sat there with blank stares on their faces. Oh! Blake's face was suddenly turning really red, was something finally happening? Maybe they were just slow today?

"W-what?!" Blake gaped and her face now beet-red.

Nora tilted her head in confusion. She hadn't been unclear, had she? No, she had been right to the point and there was no way they had misinterpreted her question. Still, even Jaune was looking at her oddly for a moment, as if he was trying to solve some puzzle. Finally, his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers.

"This is about Ren, isn't it?" He pointed at her happily as he asked his question, likely just glad he had figured it out.

Blake held her hands in the air disbelievingly as she gave him a perplexed look, almost as if she couldn't fathom how he came to that conclusion.

Nora swung her hips from side-to-side as she averted her eyes bashfully, not all that surprised that Jaune had been able to piece it together seeing the amount of time they had spent together on the same team. "...Yes." She admitted uncharacteristically quiet.

Blake looked back and forth between them in complete and utter bafflement as she tried to keep up with their incomprehensible conversation.

Jaune gave Nora a reassuring smile and nodded. "Just go for it."

She didn't understand how Jaune could say that with such assurance. Was it because he believed in what he had with Blake or was he saying that as the leader of JNPR and he was able to see something she couldn't? She just didn't know.

"Okay, stop." Blake held up her hand as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just what is going on here?"

Nora and Jaune glanced at each other for a second before he turned to explain. "Nora likes Ren. However, she is afraid he won't return her feelings. So she asked us if we were thinking of getting married. Because if we get married that means we'll be together forever. And if we stay together forever that means that she and Ren will have a chance at working out too. Seeing as the two of them are kinda similar in personality to us…" He tilted his head and quirked an eye before turning back to Nora. "...that sound about right?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "That's exactly right! Gosh Blake, try to keep up!" She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at the other girl.

Blake let out a sigh of exasperation. "First, I don't know how anyone was supposed to get any of that from a single question." She glared at Jaune out of the corner of her eye and he shrugged sheepishly. "Second, that's just ridiculous. Just because Jaune and I stay together the rest of our lives or not has no relevance to whether or not you and Ren will work out. Finally, if you want my advice, listen to Jaune."

Oh? Nora tilted her head in surprise. That was not a phrase someone normally said after all.

"If Ren is as like me as you think he is, he will never be the one to ask. That means it is up to you to take the initiative. That's what Jaune did and no matter what the future has in store for us, I'm glad we gave it a shot. You'll never know though if you don't just try, so go be Nora and confess already." Blake huffed as she turned back around and plopped once more onto the ground next to Jaune to watch the lure.

Nora turned her eyes back to her leader and he smiled broadly. "You heard her. Go do what you do best, charge in head first and worry about the consequences later. It's not like you to think so hard about something." With that he also turned around and Blake once more rested her head on his shoulder.

Nora stared at their backs for a few seconds as a smile slowly formed across her face. Maybe...they were right? She was being silly. Since when did she ever really think about something so seriously? That wasn't like her, it was only with Ren it was different but that wasn't right. This problem wasn't any different than any she had ever faced before. She just needed to go do it and hope for the best. "Thanks Boss-man! Thanks Blakey!" She waved goodbye before sprinting off back to their dorm room.

With her boundless energy and propelled by new-found desire she cleared the distance in no time at all and before she was aware of it herself she burst into the room, slamming the door against the wall as she did.

Ren was alone in the room and was quietly cleaning Stormflower. If Nora's grand entrance surprised him at all he didn't show it. "Welcome back, Nora." He greeted simply, normally.

"Ren! Let's go on a date!" She didn't hesitate, just like they said. Sure, her heart was beating impossibly fast and her face was tinted red and while she could blame that on the fact that she sprinted the whole way here she knew it was more because she was finally doing it, finally asking him out.

Ren's hands paused what they were doing and his head slowly tilted upwards as he looked at her with slightly widened eyes. "...A date?" He repeated questioningly.

She nodded firmly. "Ren...I want what Jaune and Blake have...with you. We got a lot of catching up to do but we're also childhood friends! We've spent more time together than they ever have! But I want to spend that time from here on out as your girlfriend! So...let's go on a date!" She smiled awkwardly at him. Okay, so maybe she should've thought about what she was going to say more but it was too late now and in good-ol'-Nora fashion she winged it.

"..." Ren continued to stare at her quietly for several seconds and she was starting to fear that maybe he was trying to think of a way to turn her down. Her smile faltered slightly despite herself but it was that movement that caused him to finally react. Although, he didn't react in quite the way she expected. She had always pictured this moment as some grand spectacle that would shake the heavens themselves.

Instead, he merely lowered Stormflower to the bed and gave her a small, gentle smile. "I would like that very much, Nora. Let's go on a date."

And in a way very much like Ren, he agreed.

She supposed that was about right though. She confessed like one would expect her to and he answered in a way one would expect him to.

That was okay though. She wouldn't have it any other way.

She just had to remember now to let Jaune and Blake know that she was thankful to them, and not just for the advice. The thing is, if the two of them had never gotten together-together she might have never found the courage to do this.

And for that she was truly grateful.


	6. Chapter 6

Weiss' chapter: Set approximately three years into Jaune and Blake's relationship and on the first day of their last year at Beacon.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Weiss Schnee didn't understand Blake's taste in men.

To her, it just didn't make sense. First there had been that ruffian, Sun. How Blake had even considering going to the dance with him that one time was beyond her although she supposed that she could rationalize it as him having been there for her when she needed someone most. Jaune however, had no such claim. It was just beyond baffling that she would ever so much as entertain the idea of courting such a person. She would admit however, she had grown to tolerate Jaune and some of his occasional antics but she could never picture him as being datable material.

She would've thought the whole thing was some ruse to get her interested in him if he hadn't went out of his way to help her and Neptune get together at the dance some years ago. It was a bit of a pity that hadn't worked out but Jaune had at least made an effort and for that she was grateful and thus not entirely suspicious of his motives for dating her teammate. If anything, it was Blake's motives that remained unclear.

Still, she never pried into it because truthfully, the less she knew the better. Weiss was probably the one person in the entire academy that was happy with not being able to understand Jaune and Blake's relationship. As long as it never affected her negatively she would tolerate it without complaint.

The end.

At least, that should be the end. Maybe occasionally she would throw up a little in her mouth when she saw them clinging to one another. Speaking of throwing up...a horrible retching sound came from their team's bathroom. She and Yang shared a concerned look with one another as they finished dressing for the day. It was the first day of their final year and apparently Blake was sick. Just great. That was going to leave a horrible impression if they were late for their new classes already because of this.

"S-should we check on her?" Ruby stared at the bathroom door worriedly and fiddled with the hem of her skirt as she hesitated on whether or not to go in there.

"I got it!" Yang volunteered as she strolled purposely forward and swung the bathroom door open.

"Yang! Get ou-" Blake turned to yell but another retch cut her off as she turned back to the toilet. Weiss averted her eyes from the disgusting scene just as Yang closed the door.

"Feeling sick there, partner?" Yang asked in an annoyingly grating sing-song voice. Weiss could hear Blake respond but whatever she said was muffled by the door. Without really realizing it herself, she inched forward so she could hear their conversation better as Ruby did the same. She heard Yang snap her fingers and start searching for something in their cupboards. "I know exactly what the problem is! Here you go!"

"W-why do you even have those?!" Blake yelled indignantly. "Get it away from me!"

"Come on! It couldn't hurt to check!" Yang meanwhile sounded like she was having way too much fun. Just...what were they talking about in there? "If you go ahead and try it I'll leave right after."

"F-fine." Whatever it was, Blake reluctantly agreed.

Silence.

Nothing happened for several minutes which was both a little disconcerting and at the same time annoying. They were running out of time, they had to go to classes soon. Didn't they know that?

"Yang…get out." Blake whispered and Weiss wondered for a second how she was able to hear that before she realized she was standing right up against the door now with her ear pressed against it.

"Come on! I was just teasing! Wait...you're not seriously...?" The sounds of the two of them wrestling for control over...something caused Weiss to quirk her eyebrow and turn to Ruby curiously. The younger girl only shrugged in response, just as clueless as to what was going on as she was. "Haha!" Yang cried victoriously.

"Yang! No!" Blake called but whatever it was it was clearly too late because the blonde girl's shouts of victory had died on her tongue and now there was only complete silence coming from her.

"Oh."

"My."

"God!"

Weiss recoiled away from the door as she heard Yang charge towards it and not a moment later it swung open violently.

"Yang!" Blake called but it was too late as she burst out the door and held a small pink object triumphantly above her head while sporting a huge grin.

"Guess what Blake is!" Yang was clearly too enthusiastic for her own good and Blake looked positively ready to murder her between trying to hide her embarrassment.

Weiss narrowed her eyes as she stared at the offending object before they slowly begin to widen as she realized what it was. "Is that a..."

"...Pregnancy test?" Ruby finished the question Weiss wasn't able to before they both turned to Blake who was now trying not to look at them. "You're pregnant?" There was a hint of wonder in her voice mixed in with the disbelief.

Blake could only give a small nod in response but that was enough to send the gears in Weiss' head screeching to a halt. There was no way. It couldn't be. Just what kinda blasphemy was happening in front of her very face right now? Blake Belladonna? Pregnant? How? Why? Who? The answer to all these questions was very obvious but she refused to see it. There was just no way in Hell it was true. Yang she could kinda see...despite the fact that she was single. But Blake? And with-

"Jaune?" Ruby voiced questioningly while her head tilted.

Blake lifted her face to give a look of slight incredulity. "Of course Jaune!"

Weiss' disbelief gave way to anger at those words. That-that Barbarian! Who the Hell did he think he was? Did he have any idea the severity of his actions?! The very fact that Blake would even consider having...with him! Weiss' face got red just thinking about it.

"No need to get so defensive, Blakey!" Yang's teasing tone was hardly the most appropriate for this situation. "You're pretty attractive after all. Who knows how many guys and girls have been hitting on you."

"I would never cheat!" If Blake's face hadn't already been red it almost certainly would've gotten that way judging by how heatedly she said those words.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I didn't mean to insinuate that." Yang held up her hands defensively and for a second she actually sounded remorseful but it was ruined not even a moment later when her teasing grin returned. "So...how was he?"

That was it! Weiss had heard enough! She was going to end this once and for all...by destroying the source. "I'll kill him." She muttered icily under her breath.

"Weiss?" Ruby was looking at her in horrified concern. She had better be concerned. Blake was pregnant and the buffoon responsible was about to meet a swift end if she had her way. She stalked over to Myrtenaster and grabbed it before walking right out the door.

"Hey!"

"Weiss!"

"Stop!"

Her teammates' cries fell on deaf ears as she banged on the door to JNPR's room, her rapier gripped so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning more white than they already were. "Hello?" Pyrrha greeted curiously as she opened the door. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw the look of pure rage on Weiss' face.

"Where is he?" Weiss seethed as she pushed Pyrrha aside and stepped into the room. If she had been paying attention she would've noticed the look of shock on her face as she did. She also might have noticed Nora and Ren reach for their weapons as they sensed the hostility radiating off her very Aura and she might have heard her team as they ran up behind her.

The only thing she saw though was the shocked look on Jaune Arc's face as he quickly back-peddled away from her before he stumbled and crashed his head onto the wall behind him. He likely had no idea why Weiss was angry with him but he knew her well enough to know when she was seriously pissed and he wanted no part of being on the receiving end of that. Too bad for him he already was. She raised Myrtenaster and poised herself to strike when three different people crashed into her at once.

Yang grabbed her from the back and pulled her off her feet. Ruby clung to the arm holding Myrtenaster and pulled it down so it was no longer aimed right at Jaune's head. Pyrrha tackled into her from the side and wrapped her arms around her waist. Needless to say, she wasn't going to be killing anyone like that.

"Let me go!" She cried indignantly as she flailed her feet in a vain attempt to free herself. "I need to kill him!"

Just what is going on!?" Pyrrha yelled over her.

"Long story!" Yang and Ruby replied simultaneously. Weiss disagreed.

"He defiled my teammate is what's going on!" She tried once more to raise Myrtenaster but Ruby put all her body weight into keeping it down.

"Jaune, what's she talking about?" He could only shrug helplessly at his partner's question.

"I have no idea!"

"You have no idea? Because of you Blake is-" a sudden sting on her right cheek cut her sentence short and brought her surroundings into much greater focus. She could see the confusion on Pyrrha's face, the desperate anxiety on Ruby's. She could hear Yang as she struggled to hold her in place. Most importantly, she could see the look of betrayal on Blake's face and the hand that had just slapped her still suspended in the air.

Why? Why was she making that expression? She was doing this for her...wasn't she? No, not really. She was doing it because this news reflected poorly on herself. The fact that her own teammate got pregnant in a way reflected them all. They were a team, after all. They were supposed to look out for one another. As horrible as her actions just now had been though that didn't explain the deep hurt in Blake's eyes.

As if sensing her confusion, Blake's eyes softened and she took a step closer and whispered to her. "You don't get to tell him that. It's my responsibility. I'm the one that has to tell him." The remainder of Weiss' anger dissipated and she went slack in the hold of the three girls. Nevertheless they held onto her just to be safe.

"I'm still very confused." Jaune remained seated with his back against the wall although a lot of the tension had drained from his body. Blake's eyes softened further as she turned around and walked up to him before crouching down so her eyes were level with his. Weiss could practically feel the anxiety rolling off of her friend from here. How would Jaune react to this news? He could be an idiot but even he surely would realize how much weight this had to carry. Their whole lives could change depending on Blake's choice...on their choice.

"Blake...you okay?" Jaune extended his hand to cup Blake's cheek and she leaned into his touch before letting out a shaky breath.

"I'm uhh...pregnant." She said just loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"..."

No one said anything.

Pyrrha's grip on Weiss loosened as she sunk to her knees while Nora's mouth gaped wide open. Ren naturally reacted the least...well he was tied for least with Jaune right now who's face had frozen solid. Weiss and everyone's eyes glued to him as they waited for him to give some kind of reaction. Blake stared imploringly into his eyes, obviously the most anxious for his response. At this point, Weiss would take any kind of response from him. Anything at all would be welcome so at least the tension would break.

Whatever she was expecting him to do though, he certainly defied it completely as he let out a small breath of air that sounded like a contorted laugh. Blake recoiled slightly as a big, stupid grin spread across his face. "Really?" He asked in what could only be described as...elation? Weiss didn't know but he was certainly trying to restrain outright joy as his other hand reached forward and placed itself on Blake's stomach as if trying to confirm it for himself.

His reaction was contagious as Blake broke out into a huge relieved grin and leaned her face forward until her forehead bumped against his. Their eyes closed as they continued to smile at one another.

They were...dolts. There were so many things that were about to get so much harder for the two of them now yet they smiled away like idiots at one another. For the first time Weiss felt a pang of regret for not trying to understand Jaune and Blake's relationship. Maybe if she had put forth the effort she could understand their expressions now. Even so, somehow their faces had a way of ebbing away even her own concern.

Didn't they know it was hard to stay angry at them when they were making that kind of face? Oh well, screw it. No matter how hard it got they surely knew they had their teammates' support...even her's. A small smile spread across her own face as she simply allowed herself to get swept up in the mood.

Before anyone could say anything more Yang decided at that moment to kill that very mood. "So seriously, you two. How was it?"


	7. Chapter 7

Velvet's chapter: Set approximately three weeks after the last chapter.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Velvet Scarlatina hadn't expected to be called out by Blake Belladonna of all people. They had been somewhat close at Beacon, as they were both Faunus, but they had fallen out of touch after Velvet had graduated and she hadn't heard from her in awhile.

She was a little happy to hear from one of her underclassmen but she really hoped it wasn't something too serious. She didn't exactly handle personal confrontations very well and if Blake was calling her specifically it was almost surely Faunus related. Velvet's bunny-ears twitched as she thought about some of the bullying she had been put through while at Beacon.

It hadn't been all bad but there had been a fair share of discrimination. There were also those that didn't seem to mind either, such as Jaune Arc. Secretly, Velvet had been thrilled to hear Blake had started going out with Jaune. She didn't really understand how or why they had become an item but that wasn't really important. Blake was a Faunus and she had a hard time looking past that fact despite how hard she tried to hide it. So for her to go out with a human was clearly a sign of improvement. Though the rest of the school didn't know Blake's identity, so it was only a small step but it also helped tear down the walls between their two races and any small crack in the wall was good in Velvet's book.

It had actually been getting better by leaps and bounds the past couple years, since the White Fang had mysteriously fallen apart. No one could really figure out how or why it had happened, kinda like how no one could figure out Jaune and Blake's relationship. Still, she was just glad it happened. Maybe there was actually a chance for peace in her lifetime now? She certainly hoped so.

Velvet allowed herself a small smile as she walked down the streets of Vale, heading towards the cafe Blake had asked to meet at. Before she would always walk with her head hung low and her shoulders hunched so as not to draw attention to herself. It never really worked and she would always get jeers and nasty looks from more racist humans. Now though, she was an official Huntress and she walked confidently and with her head held high. And gone were the looks that terrified her so much not but a couple years ago, proof that things were changing.

That wasn't all that was changing though. She stopped hard as she caught sight of Blake. The black-haired girl was sitting at a table in the outside portion of the cafe and her back was turned at the moment. Her black hair was as long and beautiful as ever and she was dressed in Beacon's school uniform...but her black bow was noticeably absent, leaving her cat ears completely exposed. Blake...she wasn't hiding!

A huge grin spread across Velvet's face as she hurried over to her friend. "Blake!" She called as she walked around the table.

"Velvet." Blake smiled as the bunny girl sat down opposite of her. "Thank you for coming out to see me, I know you must be busy with Hunter missions."

"Oh, it's no problem at all! I was really happy to hear from you." Velvet waved it off and continued to grin at her. "I see you've finally decided to stop hiding your ears."

Blake gave a small nod as she rolled up the sleeve of her uniform. Her bow was wrapped around her forearm in an intricate crossing pattern. "I couldn't quit wearing it altogether, it's important to me. It's a part of me now. But I also decided to show the rest of the world who I truly am."

"That's really great to hear." Velvet placed her fingers together in front of herself and her ears twitched happily. "What made you decide to do that?"

Blake gave a small amused smile as she took a sip from her tea. "I got pregnant."

"..."

"..."

"...What?" Velvet's smile cracked but otherwise her face had completely frozen. Wait, wait, wait. Blake Belladonna, pregnant? Something wasn't adding up here. She was one of the most cautious people Velvet had ever met! And she was pregnant? Had it been intentional? Surely not, she was still a student! "Is it Jaune's!?"

Blake's nose crinkled in annoyance. "Why does everyone ask that with such disbelief? Is it really that hard to believe that he's the father?" Velvet quickly began to shake her head from side to side, her ears wobbling wildly as she did.

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that! I'm just...you? Pregnant? What happened?" Well, she knew what happened but hopefully Blake understood what she meant.

Blake let out a small sigh before taking another sip of her tea. "...I got careless, no I guess that isn't the right word." Velvet quirked her eyebrow as Blake grew quiet and appeared to contemplate how to continue. Finally she seemed to know what she wanted to say. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Velvet personally felt like that was her line. She had a million questions running through her head right now but maybe if she let Blake just talk she could understand without having to ask them. "Of course not, go ahead." She inclined her head slightly and gave the most supportive smile she could at the moment.

"Why did you decide to become a Huntress?" Okay, well she had not expected that question. It was like a complete topic change. Velvet wasn't sure but somehow this must connect back to Blake being pregnant, right?

"It's not a very exciting reason." She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. "I've always been a really weak, timid person. Huntresses were like the exact opposite of me. They were strong and full of confidence. I thought that if there was any way for me to change then it would be by becoming like them. It was just admiration of others and self-loathing of my past self that pushed me forward." She felt really lame having said it out loud.

Blake nodded as if that answer was satisfactory though. "So you became a Huntress for yourself. I think that's great and I wish I could say the same, but the truth is I did it for others." Velvet tilted her head curiously. What was so wrong with that? When Blake put it like that, it made her own reason sound really selfish whereas Blake's was selfless. "I wanted to put an end to the White Fang and the discrimination between humans and Faunus." She continued and suddenly Velvet understood.

The White Fang was gone. Discrimination still existed but it was becoming weaker, although it would likely always be there but now there was no physical enemy for her to point her blade at. In some essence, Blake had lost her reason to become a Huntress. That was something Velvet never had to worry about because her goal was being a Huntress from the beginning.

"So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately." Blake placed a hand on her stomach and drummed her fingers against it idly. "How am I supposed to contribute against racism now? What's the purpose of me continuing to try and become a Huntress? Am I supposed to just use my talents to go dish out vigilante justice against those that would attack helpless Faunus? I don't need a license to do that. So I was lost. Then one day while lying next to Jaune, I thought of something."

Velvet could now see where this was beginning to go. Yet she remained quiet and allowed Blake to say it in her own words.

"It was small at first. Just a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. But the more I ignored it the stronger the desire became. I wanted...to raise a family. If Jaune and I started a family together, we could raise our kids to not tolerate discrimination. Just us being together takes a stand against it. I never talked to him about this though...and I didn't intend for this to happen...but, I got careless. I think it was because secretly I wanted this to happen that it did."

Velvet could only nod slowly. Wasn't this...a good thing then? If this was what Blake wanted. Wait- "What does Jaune think?" He wasn't angry at her, was he?

Blake gave an amused snort. "That idiot is over the moon at the idea of becoming a father. He's too simple-minded to be angry, even after I told him that last part. Knowing him he's running all over Vale looking for ways to afford some kind of engagement ring. I doubt he has any intention of letting his child be born outside of wedlock. He can be old-fashioned like that."

Velvet smiled gently. Blake's words sounded harsh but she could hear the affection in which she spoke them. "So you're going to get married?"

"Certainly looks that way."

"So what exactly is the problem?" Velvet continued to smile as she tilted her head curiously. As far as she could tell everything about this situation seemed good to her. They were both happy and about to start a family. That was surely good.

"The problem is we're in school." Oh yeah, there was that. "Beacon is pretty strict on that policy too. Student's that get pregnant usually aren't allowed to continue their education. I have a hearing with Goodwitch next week but I'm not optimistic about my chances."

"That's okay though, right? You just said that you didn't see the point in becoming a Huntress anymore. Isn't this what you really wanted? Jaune is even willing to support you."

"It's Jaune that I'm worried about. Even though he is the father he won't necessarily be kicked out from Beacon. If I go though he'll almost certainly quit along with me." Ah, that certainly sounded like something Jaune would do too. Velvet couldn't deny that. "He's like you though. His dream of becoming a Hunter was for himself. He has a family legacy to keep. How can I just let him throw away his dream for me? For us?" She once more looked down at her stomach as she said this.

Velvet couldn't help it; she let out a small giggle. Blake glanced at her in complete shock which only made her laugh harder and she had to place a hand in front of her mouth. "You must really care about him." She said in between gasps. "I admit I was a little worried about you two since you're both still only twenty-one. If you care that much though I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I still fail to see what's so funny." Blake deadpanned and Velvet had to keep from bursting into another round of giggles.

"You just said it yourself. Jaune has a family legacy to uphold. But you and that child growing inside you are his family now. As far as he's concerned anyways, I'm sure." She didn't know Jaune all that well but maybe it was because she had only really known him from a distance that she could say this so confidently. Blake was too close to him and cared too much to see it this way without being told. "He would certainly much rather be remembered as a father that was there for his wife and child then a hero that left the mother to raise his child on her own."

Blake's jaw went slack as she stared at her but Velvet could see the realization as her brain accepted what she was saying as truth. She was probably beating herself up a little for not having been able to see it for herself. "Thanks...Velvet. I'm glad I came to talk to you."

"You're most welcome." Velvet place her elbows on the table and leaned forward while her bunny ears twitched happily.

"I'm sorry but I should get going myself." Blake quickly finished her tea and set down a healthy amount of lien on the table. "Use this to buy yourself something as well. You haven't had anything yet."

Velvet nodded her thanks. "Goodbye Blake. Stay in touch! I can't wait to see your child!"

"Children."

"Huh?" Blake's correction surprised her. "You...you're having twins!?"

Blake rolled her eyes before turning to walk off. "Try triplets!" She called over her shoulder.

Velvet could only stare at her retreating form with wide eyes and an open mouth. Oh wow, they were going to have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.

"Ma'am, can I get you something?" A waiter smiled at her as he approached.

After that news though, she felt like she was going to need something a little stronger than coffee.


	8. Chapter 8

Glynda's chapter: Set approximately one week after the last chapter.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch's eye twitched as she glared at the two totally unrepentant students in front of her.

In all her years as a teacher she didn't think she had ever come across two students completely unabashed by the consequences they were currently facing. Jaune Arc, the boy to her right, she kind of expected this from. He was one of the most unique students she had ever met. He was weak, almost unforgivably so. It was a miracle he had managed to sneak his way into Beacon at all. Yes, she used the word sneak because she had become aware of his falsified transcripts. It had been far too late when the matter had been revealed and at that point he had improved tremendously, and had earned the respect of his peers, including his partner, Pyrrha Nikos, the team leaders, Ruby Rose and Cardin Winchester, and even the upperclassmen such as team CFVY. It was hard to expel him with such support behind him.

Now here he was perfectly willing to just up and quit. Just what in the Hell was going on here? Did he have any idea how much faith they had put in him? He was incredibly lucky to have been allowed to remain here at all and yet he was just going to walk away from it? In a small way, she actually admired his dedication to do what he believed was the right thing, even if it was detrimental to his career and dream of becoming a Huntsmen.

Having said all that, she never expected Blake Belladonna of all people to be in this situation. Just what was this girl thinking? Belladonna had always struck Glynda as a quiet but highly intelligent person. She had always assumed that every time she had gotten into some form of mischief it had been because her teammates had dragged her along into it. Now she wasn't entirely so sure, especially considering how she didn't appear even the slightest bit remorseful of her current situation. She was pregnant for crying out loud! With triplets no less! Did she have any idea what kind of responsibility that was? Was she aware that she was being expelled for not being able to control her libido? Glynda wasn't honestly sure. She wasn't exactly giving her much to go off of and just continued to stare forward with that same impassive stare as always.

"You...are aware of what is happening right now, aren't you?" Glynda was trying really hard right now to use her patient voice but that was becoming increasingly difficult.

"My enrollment under Beacon is being reviewed right now." Blake deadpanned and Glynda unintentionally slammed her crop against the desk, resulting in a loud slap echoing throughout her office. Jaune jumped slightly in surprise but Blake gave no outward reaction.

"You are going to be expelled because you had...you conceived a child with none other than Mr Arc here!" She was done mincing words with these two.

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Am I being expelled because a child was conceived or because it was with Jaune?"

Glynda's eye twitched again.

"You _were_ kinda unclear about that part." Jaune piped up but immediately shrunk back when her furious gaze turned on him.

"Why are you in here again, Mr Arc?" She asked through grit teeth. "This hearing is in regards to Miss Belladonna, your enrollment here is not in question as much as I would rather it be."

Jaune tapped a small piece of paper that he had placed on her desk earlier. "If Blake is expelled then I'll be dropping out. I explained that when I walked in, did you forget?"

"And you're serious about that?" Glynda snatched up the withdrawal form to verify that it had been legitimately filled out. It had. This wasn't some bluff to try and scare her into letting Blake remain.

"I am."

"And you Miss Belladonna? You're fine with allowing him to quit for you?" She peered at Blake over the top of the paper.

Blake merely shrugged. "It's his choice to make. I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to." As much as it annoyed her, Glynda supposed she had a point on this one.

"Did neither of you consider the consequences of your actions?" She asked clearly as she leaned back in her chair. Being so angry was starting to become exhausting and neither of them were really responding to her anger so she reverted back to stern. It was incredibly frustrating partially because she had grown fond of these two. She had watched over them for more than three years now so it was a little difficult not to. "You only had one more year left. You couldn't have just contained yourself for one more year?"

Blake and Jaune shared a quick glance before she turned back to Glynda and responded seriously. "We hadn't intentionally planned this, Miss Goodwitch. We also can't change the past so we're moving forward with it as best as we can. We know it isn't going to be easy and we're not looking to make any excuses. If I'm going to be expelled then that's that. We'll find a way to make it work. Together." After saying that Jaune reached his hand over and gripped her's. A small smile spread across her lips as she gripped his back.

Glynda let out a long, tired sigh. Never had she expected to have to do this to Blake Belladonna. She could have become a great Huntress. Still, some things were just too unpredictable. Now that she thought about it, this whole relationship between the two of them was something no one had ever anticipated. It had become a popular topic at teacher meetings several times as they had tried to understand it. She had a feeling it was about to become a popular topic once again.

"Regrettably, as admirable as your decision to face this is, the rules cannot be bent around this. You are officially expelled Miss Belladonna." Blake gave a small nod. Jaune opened his mouth but Glynda cut him off. "Your withdrawal from the academy is accepted Mr Arc." They both gave a small nod and began to stand up. "And just where do you think you're going?"

For the first time since she had entered, Belladonna gave a started look and for a moment her and Jaune locked eyes again before they slowly sat back down. "I assumed that was all you had to say? Surely you didn't have us sit back down just to tell us to pack our bags? Because we kind of got that." Blake was awfully mouthy today, probably because she couldn't get in anymore trouble than she already was.

"No, my role as a hardass teacher is over now that you two are no longer my students. From here on I'm talking to you as one concerned adult to two other adults." Glynda's whole tone changed and almost all the anger had dissipated now that she had done what she had to. Instead she was genuinely concerned about their future. Once more they both looked surprised and a small feeling of satisfaction welled up inside her. It wasn't very often she was the one that got to throw people off their game. It was usually the other way around. "Have you two thought about what you're going to do for careers?"

Blake nodded almost immediately. "Weiss has already secured me an interview at the Cross Continental Transmit in Vale. Of course, with the Schnee Heiress backing me I'm not really concerned about my chances." Glynda quirked an eyebrow. A job at the CCT? That was certainly a promising position. It certainly paid to be put on the same team as Weiss Schnee and just went to show why Jaune and Blake didn't appear as concerned as she felt they should be. Even if they were no longer attending Beacon their teammates would undoubtedly have their backs through thick and thin.

She turned to Jaune next who rubbed his arm awkwardly and his eyes darted around the room, refusing to look at her. "Well...I have quite a few older sisters. I'm kinda hoping one of them will get me a job."

Glynda smirked. Of course he didn't already have something. Well, that worked out just fine. "Have you ever thought about being a recruiter, Mr Arc?" She folded her hands in front of herself and leaned forward on the desk.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" He looked back to her in surprise.

"A recruiter. Someone that goes to varying villages and attempts to get young men and women interested in pursuing training at our prestigious academy." She said this with a straight face.

"W-wait a second! You're offering me a job to work for Beacon?!" Even Blake's mouth fell open as she continued to look back and forth between the two of them.

"Of course it would be for Beacon. I cannot offer you employment for elsewhere." His mouth continued to flap open and closed like a fish out of water. "Well, I say recruiter and that would be your official title but we would actually like you to go and inspect possible applicants. Make sure they're truly Beacon material. Just general meet and greet and perhaps test their mettle. We wouldn't want to have more students falsify their way in like a certain someone did." He of course knew she was talking about him.

"You're being serious?" Blake asked as her boyfriend was clearly too stupefied to make any kind of intelligent response anymore.

"I do not joke lightly, Miss Belladonna. The job pays well and while you will be expected to leave your soon-to-be wife and children for a couple days at a time you will have a considerable amount of time off. I personally think it is a great offer and wouldn't dwell too long on your decision."

"He'll take it! I'm sure he'll take it!" Blake nodded vigorously before grabbing the back of Jaune's head and nodded it for him.

"That's excellent news." Glynda smiled sweetly as she slid forth a piece of paper. "These are accommodations at a hotel down in Vale. It's all covered. Give us a few days to print up the contractual paperwork and we'll be in touch. Until then I recommend looking for an apartment for yourselves."

"T-thank you, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune's mouth finally seemed to be working again but he still appeared to be in a slight daze by this unexpected shift in events.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Goodwitch." Blake stood up and bowed to her. "For everything up until now."

"Yes, yes." Glynda waved off their gratitude as she adjusted her glasses. "Now go pack your things. You're expected to be off the academy grounds before the last ship leaves tonight. Don't come back Mr Arc until we call for you."

"Got it." Jaune stood up next to Blake and this time she didn't stop them as they turned to leave. As they walked out they kept glancing back at her but she continued to stare at them as impassively as since she finished expelling them. Finally they left the room and she relaxed completely in her chair and allowed a soft smile to grace her features.

She hadn't wanted to do that first bit but maybe in the end it was worth it? Those two certainly seemed like they would be okay. She could only hope for the best and continue to guide them, but now as a fellow adult and not as a teacher.

It was always such a strange feeling watching your students grow up.


	9. Chapter 9

Sun's chapter: Set approximately half-a-year after the last chapter.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Sun Wukong didn't really know why he was here right now.

Well, he did kind of know why. He was here to show support for his friends. To word that more specifically, Jaune and Blake's children were about to be born and as their good friend he was here to show his support. However, it was because it was Jaune and Blake's children that he was questioning coming here to begin with.

It was no exaggeration to say that at one point in time he had been quite infatuated with Blake Belladonna. Or should he call her Blake Arc now? That sounded kinda ridiculous, although if he was being honest he wasn't sure Blake Wukong sounded any better. Getting off track here. He had really liked Blake, that was the point.

Just when he thought she was finally starting to warm up to him though she started going out with Jaune Arc. At first he didn't believe it. How could he believe it? He didn't really know Jaune all that well, but the guy seemed kind of...lame. That was harsh to say and while this was all in the past it was true Sun had felt this at one time. Neptune vouched for Jaune's character as a person but that didn't exactly help him feel better about the whole thing.

He had thought at first maybe Blake was just playing hard to get. Or maybe Yang's theory about it being a prank was spot on? Then things started to get serious between them and Sun was suddenly forced to realize that they were official and nothing was going to change that.

So he allowed his feelings for Blake to die without ever truly discovering what could've been. He and his team still continued to hang out with RWBY and JNPR but for him the same spark and energy was never there as it was before. Conversations with Blake had turned awkward and he never really tried to communicate with Jaune. He just couldn't ever bring himself to do it. He didn't dislike the guy, maybe a little at first, but Neptune got along with him so he tried his best to do the same. He just also didn't really feel the need to spend time with the guy that had started going out with the girl he had been interested in.

Things started to normalize for him after a couple years and it was finally starting to look like he could put his past emotions behind him. Sure, he still thought about it once in awhile but he was never one to hold a grudge and he respected Blake's choice even if he didn't understand it. But then Blake went and got pregnant and the finality of it really hit him. Subconsciously he had been holding out to see what would become of their relationship but this was the final nail in the coffin.

Jaune and Blake were never splitting up.

What a frustrating feeling. He had spent all those years waiting for her and he never even realized it. Now it was too late and he knew he had truly lost the chance to be with her forever. That is, if there had ever been a chance for him to begin with. It hurt, it really freaking hurt.

Yet here he was, sitting here waiting for their children to be born. He almost wished this was some kind of a joke. He tilted his head up and looked around the rest of the waiting room. Jaune and Neptune sat on a couch across from him as they waited for Blake's children to be delivered. Yep, this was real.

It was a little odd for Jaune to be out here but apparently his weak stomach hadn't exactly tolerated the miracle of birth very well. Besides, the rest of team RWBY had been fiercely adamant about being in the room so there wasn't exactly space for him in there either. So he had been ousted to the waiting room. The rest of his team was currently on a mission so they couldn't be here right now.

Well, he called them Jaune's team but he wasn't really a part of it anymore. Nora, that crazy short girl of all people, had been promoted to team leader. Yet she still constantly called Jaune before ever making any kind of decision, unless of course they were on the field. It was apparently her way of keeping him in the team even if he really wasn't. It was the same for Blake, even though she didn't participate in missions with them anymore, the rest of RWBY took every chance they got to hang out with her. In a way neither one of them had never truly left. For Jaune this was especially true seeing as he was now employed by Beacon.

"I'm going to go get some water. You want anything?" Neptune stood up as he asked and was looking across the way to Sun.

The monkey-Faunus shook his head. "Nah man, I'm good."

Neptune merely shrugged. "Suit yourselves. I'll be back in a few." Having said that he turned to walk off, leaving Jaune and Sun alone together for what might have been the first time ever.

"..."

"..."

They stared at one another in silent contemplation for several awkward seconds. It only took that long for Jaune to break and lamely clear his throat. "So...nice weather today?"

"..." Sun gave him a look as if to ask 'really?' and Jaune could only smile guiltily.

"Sorry, I'm never really sure what to say in situations like this." He twiddled his thumbs and slumped his shoulders.

Great, now he was starting to make him feel bad for just staring and not saying anything. With a resigned sigh he decided to finally respond back. "Don't sweat it man. You must have a lot on your mind. I know I would if they were _my_ kids." Sun almost immediately mentally kicked himself.

Damn. Why did he say it like that?

He flinched at his own wording and a look of concern crossed Jaune's face as he clearly noticed it. Sun averted his eyes so he didn't have to look at him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

That question caused Sun to double-take and he saw Jaune looked absolutely serious about that question. Talk about it? What was there to talk about? Blake had pretty clearly chosen him so why would he even think there was something to talk about?

Jaune must have taken his silence as an opening to continue because he started talking again. "I'm not as dense as everyone seems to think, or at least not as much as I used to be. Just because Blake and I are happy doesn't mean everyone else is. It would be too easy if the world worked that way. At least three people were hurt when we started dating."

"Three?" Sun mumbled in surprise before snapping his mouth shut. He hadn't meant to say anything but Jaune's words had caught him off guard.

"It's a little awkward to say it about myself but both Pyrrha and Ruby used to like me." Jaune blushed heavily as he talked and Sun's mouth opened slightly in shock. "I think Ruby has gotten over it but sometimes I'm not so sure about Pyrrha. Sometimes I wonder if she resents Blake actually and that thought terrifies me. I don't want my best friend and my wife to hate each other."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sun gripped his knee as he tried to size Jaune up right now. "Is this supposed to be some kind of apology?"

The other blonde shook his head. "No, it's not an apology. I don't know what I'm doing exactly. Doing what I do best and creating awkward conversation I suppose?" It was certainly awkward alright. "There are a lot of things I could apologize to you for but getting together with Blake isn't one of them because that's something I don't regret. Blake...makes me really happy. Far happier than someone like me deserves."

Sun's tail twitched and he tilted his head. "And what makes you think you don't deserve happiness?"

"It's not that I think I don't deserve to be happy...it's just...I'm going to be a dad!" He gestured vaguely down the hallway towards where Blake was and Sun finally started to understand that it was Jaune's nerves doing the talking for him. This guy likely had no idea what it was he was even trying to mouth off about. "Will I even be capable of being a good parent? Oh…" He grabbed the back of his head and stuck it between his knees as he let out a long moan.

"H-hey man! Calm down. It'll be okay!" Sun had no idea what he was supposed to say in this kind of situation as he got halfway out of his chair and extended open palms towards Jaune as if willing him to relax through the power of suggestion. Damnit, maybe he should've tried to get to know Jaune better after all? "You're going to be a great dad! How could you think you wouldn't be?"

"I'm a horrible person." Jaune mumbled as he started to rock back and forth. "I cheated my way into Beacon and even after I got found out they didn't expel me. Yet the moment I found out Blake was pregnant I spit in their face and quit. Yet they gave me a job anyways! How can I even face my kids? I'm a cheat, a coward, and worst of all I'm still nothing more than an ungrateful bastard."

"You have to know that's not true, man!" Sun said a little louder than intended and cringed when the other people in the lobby began to glance curiously over at them. Ah crap! Not having much choice he scooted over to Jaune and crouched down in front of him so he could whisper. "So what if you made some mistakes along the way? Everyone goofs up. The important thing is not letting it hold you back. You...kept running forward. That's not something everyone can do. That's not something I was able to do."

Sun had no idea what he was trying to say but it seemed to work as Jaune slowly tilted his head up and made eye-contact with him. This was an odd situation. Here he was trying to cheer up the guy that by all rights he should want nothing to do with. No, maybe that wasn't right. Jaune wasn't a bad person. No one that cared that much about how he was going to look to his kids could be a bad person.

He had just happened to fall in love with the same person Sun had a crush on. That placed them against each other and Sun had spent this whole time thinking that made him someone that he could never get along with. He got hung up on the past and never tried to move beyond it. Instead he just made excuses to help himself feel better. Jaune didn't do that. He understood that his decisions had hurt others but he also understood that he had made them of his own accord. He didn't make excuses for them and instead moved ahead. It just so happened his nerves were making him question everything at this moment.

"Sun...thanks." Jaune's breathing calmed down and his eyes mellowed out as he seemed to gain his senses. "I know it might not mean much to hear that from me. However, hearing those words from you mean a lot."

Sun nodded and did his best to give a cocky smirk. "Don't mention it. You may have been talking crazy in there for a minute but I must admit I respected you a little bit more when you told me you weren't going to apologize. You worked hard and you made Blake realize that you must be a pretty amazing guy. That's definitely something no one should ever regret." It wasn't a big step by any means, but Sun felt like he could understand a little more why Blake had chosen him in the end.

And in a way that removed the sting a little. It was too late to change the past but maybe Sun could try and be like Jaune now and move forward? "Hey, you wanna get a drink with me and Neptune some time?"

Jaune gave a small start in surprise before a huge smile broke out across his face. "I'm going to be pretty busy from now on you know? Three kids and a job don't exactly leave a lot of free time."

"All the more reason you're going to need that drink." Sun chuckled as he patted Jaune on the elbow.

"Heh, you might have a point there." Jaune chuckled back for a second before they both settled back into grins.

"...Did I miss something?" Neptune asked curiously as he walked back up to the two of them.

"Jaune's coming out drinking with us after our next mission." Sun bounced back to his feet and gave his partner a big thumbs-up.

"Really? Is that going to be okay with Blake?" Neptune gave Jaune a dubious look but Sun immediately waved it off.

"We'll tell her we forced him! No worries!" He winked at Jaune who could only shake his head in bewilderment but he still had that big grin on his face so Sun knew he wasn't opposed to the idea.

"Mr Arc?" A nurse called from the edge of the waiting room. Almost immediately he bound to his feet and ran over to her. Sun and Neptune were quick to hurry behind him.

"Is Blake okay? The babies!?" Jaune was sputtering out nervous questions before he was even up to her.

The nurse gave him a gentle smile. "Your wife is fine Mr Arc. And congratulations. She's given birth to two beautiful girls and one handsome baby boy." A huge relieved grin spread across Jaune's face before his knees practically buckled beneath him.

"Whoa!" Sun jumped forward and grabbed his one elbow to hold him up while Neptune grabbed the other. "Hold on there, Pops. At least go see your kids first before you pass out."

"R-right." Jaune nodded and strength returned to his legs as he stood without their support.

"Follow me this way." The nurse inclined her head as she turned around.

Jaune gave a shaky breath before he straightened his shoulders and strolled forward with absolute conviction and Sun couldn't help but stop and stare at his back. Despite the overwhelming feelings of anxiety that was undoubtably coursing through him he continued to walk forward with as much might as he could possibly muster. He was walking towards the next stage of his life. Now it was time for Sun to do the same. It was hard to leave his feelings behind but he had to at least try and move ahead just like Jaune was. Even if only a little at a time.

"You think he'll be alright?" Neptune whispered into his ear as they started after him.

Sun gave a small nod and smile. "Somehow, yeah."


	10. Chapter 10

Cardin's chapter: Set approximately half-a-year after the last chapter.

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**One Day They'll Understand**

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Cardin Winchester wasn't exactly sure what he was doing anymore.

He had graduated from Beacon a couple months ago and had become an official Huntsmen. That was supposed to be a good thing...wasn't it? He had been training his whole life for that moment. The elation and overwhelming sense of pride he felt as twenty-two years of cumulative effort had finally led him to achieving his long-sought goal was exhilarating. Now though...the sense of achievement had worn off and reality settled in.

In the coming months since graduating he had done nothing but gone on missions. He went to numerous places located all over the world. Most people expressed their awe at the idea of traveling all over the world, seeing exotic places and experiencing different cultures. He really didn't see what all the hubbub was about himself. Everywhere he went was the same no matter how different it initially seemed. Just terrified people begin massacred by the nightmarish Grimm.

Everywhere he went there was only death. No matter how strong he had become or how quickly the distress calls came. No matter how many lives he saved there were countless more he failed to save. This was the reality of being a Hunter. The truth behind the thing he had yearned for as far back as he could remember. It all almost seemed like a bad joke to him. If he had known this was what awaited him after he graduated he would've quit a long time ago. Why would anyone in their right mind want to be a Hunter if this was all that awaited them? What purpose was there in what they were doing?

He didn't have the answers to any of those questions. And because he didn't have the answers he was lost. He needed a break from missions. Fortunately he had accomplished so many in such a short period of time they immediately granted his request and he was free to wander as he pleased. He didn't go very far. What was the point? He had been all over already anyways. So he stayed in Vale and just kind of wandered around, trying to find some purpose or reason for what he was doing. In his wanderings he happened upon a large park.

Now he sat at the top of a hill on a bench, just kind of overlooking the rest of said park. A large tree was posted just behind the bench, providing him shade from the scorching summer sun. He leaned forward and placed his forearms on his knees and just took in his surroundings. Dozens of people were scattered throughout the park, blissfully enjoying the weather. Some were playing with their pets, others participating in sports, while others yet were just lounging around on the grass. It was a surreal scene...peaceful. He had forgotten what this felt like.

Maybe this was all karma paying him back in some way? He hadn't exactly been a very kind person in his teenage years. He had made life Hell for numerous others and it hadn't been until a certain encounter with one Jaune Arc that he had finally started to realize how his actions had consequences. That had been quite the lesson. What...was he doing now? Cardin couldn't help but wonder.

The last he had seen him he had quit Beacon only to get hired by them. Jaune had very rarely been on campus though so Cardin had never gotten to talk to him about all the crazy stuff that had happened to him. The lucky bastard...he had gotten together with Blake Belladonna, and married her too if the rumors were to be believed. How such a scrawny dude like him had managed to land a babe like her was anyone's guess.

"Cardin?" A perplexed voice called out his name and he tilted his head up towards the source. Just down the path a short distance away was exactly the person he had just been thinking about.

"Jaune?" He almost couldn't believe it. Not just because it was an incredible coincidence but also because he looked so much different than the last time Cardin had seen him. His once long, unruly blonde hair had been cut short and gone were the hoodie and jeans, replaced now by khaki's and a blue button-up shirt. He had the sleeves rolled up but even still he looked uncharacteristically professional.

Next to him was a woman Cardin hadn't seen in awhile either and she too had changed. Jaune's wife, Blake, had also cut her hair and it only barely extended to her shoulders now and she wore a simple white shirt with a black skirt. The black bow she had used to wear was now wrapped around her left forearm and her cat ears were exposed to the world.

In almost all the time he had known Blake, Cardin had never realized she was a Faunus until after she had gotten pregnant and quit concealing her ears. It had been a shock to be sure but Cardin had long since left such past prejudices behind him. Instead he was more surprised by the news of the pregnancy and that Jaune had actually been the one to do it. Not many people had seen that one coming. Speaking of which, just in front of Jaune was a rather wide stroller and Cardin realized that the two of them were on a walk with their children.

"Oh man! I thought it was you! It's been awhile!" Cardin jerked his head back up as Jaune pushed the stroller closer with a huge grin across his face. His wife looked far less enthused but at least she didn't look hostile like Cardin had expected her too.

He awkwardly held an arm up as he got to his feet to greet him back. "I almost didn't recognize you. That look for your job?" The two exchanged a firm handshake before Jaune gave an awkward grin and smiled down at his attire.

"Yeah, kinda. I got so used to dressing like this it turned into a habit. I have to look good for when I go to meet the applicants. I'm the first real face they place to Beacon so I can't leave a bad impression." He fiddled with one of the buttons on his collar as he talked.

"Hmm." Cardin gave an understanding nod before turning to Blake and nodding. "You look good too. I like the new hair."

Blake smiled politely and ran a hand through her shorter hair. "The babies were always tugging at my hair because it was so long. The look is growing on me and Jaune seems to enjoy it." She smiled coyly at her husband as she said this and he awkward averted his eyes with a small blush on his face.

This was certainly unexpected. Cardin had never expected to engage in pleasant conversation with Blake Arc of all people. She had been rather volatile towards him while they were at Beacon, not that it had been underserved with his less than savory remarks towards Faunus and the way he had treated her husband during their early time there. Her current attitude now though told him just how far behind them all that was now. It was weird, almost like he had stepped into a portal and was thrust into the distant future even though time had progressed naturally. Was it just him holding onto his past mistakes then, while the others had already moved on? He shook the thought loose as he instead focused on Blake's words instead of her actions and glanced at the babies she was talking about.

"So you guys really did have triplets then." He couldn't believe it. There were actually three babies in the stroller. Hearing about it and actually seeing it were two entirely different things as he had come to realize over the past couple months. Two girls with blonde hair and blue eyes and one boy with black hair and yellow eyes looked back up at him. All three of them had cat ears just like their mother.

"We sure did! Aren't they adorable?" Jaune jumped around the side of the stroller so he was standing next to Cardin and began pointing them out to him. "This little cutie at the end here is Amber. She's the eldest. The girl next to her is Blaine and my little man right here is Kuro." He leaned up to Cardin and placed his palm next to his mouth as he whispered to him. "Blake was the one that chose his name."

"I can hear you, you know?" Blake bent over her children and rubbed the blonde hair out of Amber's eyes.

"You wanna see a picture of them?" Jaune asked excitedly, already fishing in his pocket for his wallet where he undoubtedly had their photos.

"W-why would I need to see a picture? They're right here." What the Hell was wrong with Jaune right now? He got that being a new dad could be a little exhilarating but this was down-right weirding him out.

"You're going to have to forgive him." Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head at her husband's antics but Cardin could've sworn he saw a hint of warmness in her eyes as well while she watched him. "He's a little too doting of a father and doesn't exactly know when to quit showing them off."

"How could you not want to see more of them?! And there is no such thing as too doting!" Before Cardin could react, a picture of all three babies sitting on a couch was shoved into his face.

"Okay man! I get it! They're adorable." Cardin took a step back and would've been afraid he had offended Jaune if the blonde knucklehead hadn't started staring at the picture with a huge idiotic grin plastered across his face. "So...I take it the two of you have been getting by pretty okay?"

"It's been...chaotic." Blake answered for Jaune as he finally began to put the photo away. "We're living in a small apartment just outside this park right now. It's a good location but once the kids get a little older there won't be enough space for them. We're saving for a house but it's difficult balancing our schedules while taking care of them."

"You both seem pretty chipper anyways. Especially super-dad over here." Cardin gave Jaune a light shove on the shoulder and the blonde grinned sheepishly.

"Our old teams are really helping us out. They take turns and babysit often when we both have to be to work. My sisters stop in a lot to help with all the housework too. We're really fortunate in that regard. There's no way we could do it without all their help." Jaune tapped the handle of the stroller and looked across the park with a distant gleam in his eye. "...How's Hunter life treating you?"

"Oh, well..." Cardin gave a small start at the sudden question. Then again, maybe it wasn't so sudden. They had been talking a lot about themselves and probably only felt it polite to inquire about him now. The problem was he didn't really know how to answer. What would Jaune think if he told him he was having second thoughts about his career choice? After all, Jaune was forced to give up early so he could provide for his family. Blake too. Then again, maybe as two people that had managed to get off this path they would understand him better than most? Only one way to find out. "Not so great actually. I don't really feel like I'm making much of a difference out there."

Jaune and Blake shared a quick look and he could almost swear he saw a silent conversation pass between them before she nodded to Jaune to say something. The blonde turned to Cardin and gave him a huge, appreciative grin. "That's silly, Cardin. Of course you're making a difference. It's because people like you are out there fighting back the Grimm that I can raise my family and have a normal job with peace of mind."

Cardin's mouth dropped open as he stared in disbelief at him. He tilted his head slightly to see Blake giving him an encouraging smile before he immediately tried to reject their words. "N-no. I'm not doing that good. You probably would've been more successful than I am."

"No way. I never once beat you in a spar, remember? I mean, I was getting pretty good but never that good." Jaune waved him off before his face turned serious. "Seriously Cardin. Thank you for everything you do. I think maybe people forget to say that because they just think it's your job but we appreciate that you put your lives on the line so we don't have to."

"Ta tu." One of the babies gave a small cry, causing Cardin to jump in surprise. He turned down to see Blaine waving her little hands in his direction.

"Even she's trying to say 'thanks' to you, Cardin." Blake giggled as she reached down and grabbed one of her little hands.

Cardin opened and closed his mouth but no words came out, even as a strange, indescribable feeling pooled itself in the bottom of his stomach. These two were counting on him...on all the Hunters and Huntresses. Without them, they wouldn't necessarily have a secure place to raise their family. It was such a simple truth yet Cardin had forgotten that while he was out on the field. He had only been capable of seeing all the death and despair and turned his eyes away from the life and hope. Seeing these kids though and their loving parents...he felt like an idiot for having been able to miss it.

"Heh, back then and even now you're teaching me things. I almost feel sorry such an imperfect guy like me managed to become a Huntsmen at all." Despite his words, Cardin puffed out his chest with pride and beamed down at the family in front of him. "Still, it was refreshing to see you two again. I'm glad I took this little vacation after all."

"If you stop in Vale again, swing by Beacon sometime." Jaune walked back around behind his stroller. "I got my own office and everything. I'm sure to have some updated photos of the babies and I'll definitely have spares I'll be handing out."

Cardin could only shake his head as he started to walk off. He had lives to save and Grimm to kill, he couldn't afford to just be sitting around debating about why he was doing it. "Take care, Jaune. You too, Blake. You better raise those kids right. I'm sticking my neck out there to make sure they'll have a safe, bright future after all."


	11. Chapter 11

Pyrrha's chapter: Set approximately five years after the last chapter. I would like to thank the author, Jefardi, for helping me work out some kinks in this chapter. He is a resident Pyrrha expert so I'm glad he was willing to give me some insight with her perspective.

* * *

**One Day They'll Understand**

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos wasn't like everyone else.

She knew exactly why Jaune and Blake had gotten together. She was Jaune's best friend and his partner at Beacon, so it was only natural that she knew what had led him to decide to pursue a relationship with Blake. After all, Jaune was a pretty simple guy to begin with. All it took was one conversation with her for Jaune to think he might have a chance. She might not have known Blake all that well so it came as a slight surprise that she agreed, but Pyrrha knew what a great guy Jaune was so it only made sense to her that someone else had seen it too.

So yeah, she could understand why Jaune and Blake got together. That already set her apart from everyone else. Well, everyone else initially. None of them had really gotten it at first but one by one they slowly began to understand and accept the relationship for what it was. Which was another way in which Pyrrha differed from them. With everyone else, when they came to understand it they also came to accept it. Pyrrha however, understood it from the beginning…

...but she still had yet to come to accept it.

How could she possibly accept it?

She had seen Jaune's potential before everyone. No one else had ever bothered to see it, except for maybe Ruby. Pyrrha could have possibly accepted losing to her. No though, it had been Blake. She was possibly the last person Pyrrha could accept losing him to. Why Blake over everyone else? Well, the answer was obvious. Weiss may have rejected Jaune numerous times and Yang may have only ever teased and made fun of him, but Blake...she had never so much as even spoken to him. Never even attempted to get to know him for over a semester of having opportunities. At least Weiss and Yang knew him.

So why then? Why had their relationship culminated into this? Happily married with children? That simply couldn't be possible and yet it had happened. If Pyrrha had known this would've been the outcome she would've never allowed it to take start...not that it was like she could have. Before her or anyone had even realized it, Jaune and Blake had made contact with one another and as if on a whim decided to attempt a relationship.

At first Pyrrha didn't pay it any mind. It hurt a little, in particular because after the dance she knew Jaune was aware of her feelings towards him. She understood a little about why he choose not to reciprocate those feelings but she couldn't agree with them. Apparently he felt that as the leader of JNPR he shouldn't treat anyone on the team as more special to him than another, regardless of how much he felt he owed her. She found that reason to be rather weak, but if it was his choice she would accept it. After all, it wasn't like someone else was going to come along and realize they loved him the way she did.

How wrong and foolish she had been. It was because she had this mindset that she didn't pay Jaune and Blake's relationship any mind. Blake would surely never fall for Jaune and eventually they would just break up. She had nothing to worry about. As it turns out she had everything to be worried about. Several months into the relationship, Blake had finally begun to see it the way Pyrrha had all along. She started to fall in love with Jaune for who he was, not who he pretended to be. Still, Pyrrha remained adamant that it wouldn't last, not as long as there was something more important in Blake's life than her relationship to Jaune: The White Fang.

As long as they existed, Blake would never be able to throw herself into total commitment to him, and sooner or later that would have been the crux on which their relationship broke. But then the White Fang had to go and mysteriously disband, taking with them so much of the Faunus racism as they did. Suddenly there was nothing to divide Blake and Jaune anymore. Yet still, Pyrrha didn't give up hope.

After several years, Nora and Ren got together and Pyrrha thought surely that was a sign that she and Jaune might not be far behind. If the two of them could date, then surely so could they. The team balance Jaune had been trying to protect was shattered with this new relationship and his excuse about not wanting to treat one as more important than the other was surely nil.

Only it wasn't. Jaune's point was because he was the leader he shouldn't have a relationship with one of his teammates. As far as he was concerned, Pyrrha could have dated Ren and he would've given it his full blessing. That...wasn't right. Why should he put that stigmatism on himself but not the rest of them? It was because he had that silly principle that he hadn't gone out with Pyrrha in the first place and wound up pursuing a relationship with Blake. Even so, Pyrrha had been given a small glint of hope thanks to Nora and Ren which is perhaps why it hurt so much more when it happened; when Blake got pregnant with Jaune's children. That was truly the moment Pyrrha realized that any chance of her and Jaune being together had long since passed by.

Time after that seemed to flash by in series of rapid-fire events. Shortly after her pregnancy was revealed, Blake was expelled. Jaune quit Beacon that same day to get a job and support her. Of course, he wound up remaining at Beacon but now as part of the staff. It wasn't the same though as he was forced to move out of their room and got an apartment down in Vale with Blake. Not much later the two of them got married, Jaune being insistent that his children be born into a proper family, not that Blake seemed to have any regrets. She seemed only too pleased by his dedication to her and their future, which Pyrrha supposed was natural. It wasn't every guy that was going to make sacrifices for them as willingly as he had.

Then the children were born and only a few months later the rest of their teams graduated from Beacon. Their lives as Hunters and Huntresses began and even though their lives had taken very different turns, she still saw Jaune quite often. Along with his wife and children. Children...what a strange word. Even five years after they had been born, Pyrrha still found it hard to believe that Jaune was a father and had children. That was a thought that entered her head every time she stood on the porch of their house. In fact, she usually always spent about five minutes standing there, just staring at their front door and thinking about what had led up to this moment.

Their hard work had paid off and they had managed to afford a house located in a beautiful subdivision just outside of the Vale city proper. One big enough to raise their three children and just close enough for them both to commute to work easily. In other words, it was perfect. At least to them it was. The road ahead of them hadn't been an easy one, but they had made the most of it and they had come out better for it. Even Pyrrha had to admit they'd done exceptionally, given the circumstances.

With a resigned sigh, she raised her fist and knocked on the door. A loud commotion from the other end caused a small smile to unintentionally spread across her face that she couldn't quite erase by the time the door swung wide open. "Pyrrha!" Her partner and best friend greeted with a huge smile of his own. Even after all these years her heart still fluttered when she saw that smile.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha inclined her head towards Jaune as he stepped aside to let her in. She strolled inside and took in the familiar house. It was a rather simple place, a central living room with a couch, a reclining chair, and a TV that was currently playing some cartoon. A small doorway connecting to the dining room and kitchen where a delicious aroma rolled out from and a hallway in the corner that led to the bedrooms.

"Aunty Pyrrha!" Before she could react, two little bodies rocketed into her and nearly knocked her back outside. She let out a small grunt as he arms wrapped around the two five year old girls and she grinned widely down at both of them.

"Girls!" Jaune tried to attempt to sound scolding but he just never had it in him, so instead he offered an apologetic grin at Pyrrha. "Sorry again about them, they're just so happy to see you. It's been awhile since you left on that mission."

"It's quite alright." Pyrrha chuckled as she bent down and stroked their blonde hair and cat ears. "Hello Amber. Hello Blaine. Have the two of you been good?" She admired the two girls that reminded her so much of Jaune. They were practically identical so to tell them apart, Amber had her hair tied in a ponytail and Blaine's was tied into twintails.

Amber nodded energetically as she took a couple skips backwards and wrapped her hands behind her back. "We've been good!"

"Where did you go this time, Aunty Pyrrha?" Blaine continued to cling to Pyrrha's leg as she looked directly up at her.

"I went to my home country, Mistral." She answered as she tilted her head up and looked around the rest of the room. "Where's your brother?"

"He's helping mommy cook dinner. I can go get him." Amber turned and immediately scurried off towards the kitchen.

"Amber! Wait for me!" Blaine called as she hurried after her.

Pyrrha smiled fondly as she watched them disappear into the kitchen. She loved those kids, all three of them. They were Jaune's kids, how couldn't she love them? She may have still found it hard to accept Jaune and Blake's marriage but they were one of the best things to come out of the two of them being together. "They're as energetic as ever." She whispered and turned to Jaune to see him smiling after them as well.

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like they're dog Faunus instead of cat with how much boundless energy they have. Kuro is a little more calm but he tends to have a bit of a mischievous streak all his own." Jaune scratched his short hair and chuckled awkwardly as he walked a little further into the house. "How was Mistral? Did you visit your old home?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I didn't. I actually didn't even go into the city. A rather nasty wave of aquatic Grimm had attacked from the shore so we set up a defense along the beach. They came out in droves for almost a week straight, I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the ocean the same." Jaune shuddered slightly as she told her tale.

"Well, I'm glad you made it back safe. I wouldn't know what to do if you just didn't come back some day." He plopped down on the chair and gestured for her to use the couch but she shook her head at the offer. The kids would likely be back any second and she didn't care to be swarmed by them while not on her feet. She loved them but they certainly were a handful.

"Aunty Pyrrha." Speaking of which, Kuro walked calmly out into the room and smiled up at her. His black hair was just as unruly as Jaune's used to be when he had it that long and he had three thick bangs that stretched down his face and partially obscured his yellow eyes.

"Kuro! Come on!" Amber and Blaine ran around either side of him and grabbed his hands before yanking him forward and pulling him up to her. He didn't put up any resistance at all as he was helplessly pulled around by his sisters. Poor boy was just like Jaune was in that regard, always being yanked around by his sisters. That much was true about him even now.

"Hello Kuro." Pyrrha bent down and rubbed his head just like she had his sisters and he leaned slightly into her touch when she brushed his cat ears. "I've got quite the stories to tell you this time. Have you ever heard of the dangerous aquatic Grimm?"

Immediately his eyes lit up with wonder and she had to fight the urge to smirk. He loved hearing stories about her adventures, especially about the Grimm she faced off against. She always enjoyed telling him the stories because of the undivided attention he paid her as she spoke. She liked telling the stories to all of them but Blaine always appeared more interested in Yang's street brawls than the horrendous tales of Grimm incursions. Amber was different yet from both of them and would rather help Ruby as she tinkered with her weapons.

"I'll tell you at the dinner table. Are any of the others joining us tonight?" She looked up to Jaune but before he could respond another voice answered from the kitchen doorway.

"It'll just be you tonight. Weiss had business in Atlas, while Ruby and Yang are visiting their father in Patch." Blake was drying her hands with a washcloth and after she finished talking she gave Pyrrha a warm smile.

"I see." Pyrrha tried really hard to return the smile but she knew it certainly didn't reach her eyes. She felt guilty about that. Blake bore her no ill will and instead welcomed her warmly into her home without complaint, despite the fact that she obviously knew about the grudge Pyrrha still held towards her. "Ren and Nora?"

Jaune waved a dismissive hand. "They got a three year old daughter of their own to take care of and we offered to let her tag along too, but I think Ren would rather have the quiet evening...well, as quiet as it can get with Freyja and Nora." Pyrrha let out a small laugh at the thought of poor Ren and his not-so-quiet household. Still, he was clearly happy so she supposed it was all okay.

"What about you, Pyrrha?" Blake asked as she walked into the room and stood just next to her husband. "Do you have any place to stay? You were gone for awhile on that mission. If you need a place to sleep we could probably pull you out a bed."

"Oh, no that's okay." Pyrrha quickly shook her head and her long red hair waved from side to side as she did. "I still have my apartment from a few months ago. It's a nice place and they let me wire them the rent from overseas. I may actually stay there for awhile this time."

Blake gave a small nod. "If you ever need help with anything, let us know. We owe you and everyone else so much for being there for us when we needed so much help. It's no exaggeration to say we might not have made it if not for all of you." Once more Pyrrha felt a knot of guilt form in her stomach as she saw the look of absolute sincerity Blake offered her. Pyrrha had spent all these years harboring all this animosity towards her and yet Blake never returned any of it. Sometimes, Pyrrha thought it would've been easier if Blake had ever just called her out on it. She knew that would never happen though. And so Pyrrha decided to live with her guilt. It was a small price to pay if she could continue to live this life as Jaune's best friend and as the aunt to these children.

"Dinner is about ready. You can all go sit at the table if you want and I'll bring it out." Blake continued as she gestured back the way she came.

"I'll help you." Jaune offered as he got to his feet and planted a quick kiss on his wife's cheek.

"Thank you." Blake nodded as she slipped an arm around his waist. "Children, show Pyrrha to her seat before taking your own."

"Okay! Come on Aunty Pyrrha!" She couldn't help but chuckle as all three of them grabbed her hands and began to pull her forward and past their parents. As she did she saw the two of them smiling brightly at the scene. Yeah, this wasn't so bad. Maybe it hadn't been perfect and maybe there was some part of her that would never completely accept every part of Jaune and Blake's relationship. However, what she could accept were these three beautiful children that had been born from it. That was something that never would've been possible if Jaune and Blake hadn't come together. She could at least be happy of that much.

It was an incomplete feeling and it certainly wasn't the happy ending Pyrrha had wished for but it was the best compromise she was capable of making. Somewhat reminiscent of her namesake, she supposed.


	12. Chapter 12

Final chapter, once more from Ren's perspective. Set approximately ten years after Jaune and Blake started dating.

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**One Day They'll Understand**

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Lie Ren finally got it.

He finally understood why Jaune and Blake Arc had started a relationship that had eventually led to a happy marriage with children.

It had only taken him ten years to do it, but later was better than never. Actually, it was a little embarrassing for him to admit but he was probably the last one in a long line of people to understand.

Yang Xiao Long had surprisingly been the first one to get it, several months into the relationship. Blake had gone to confess that she might have been falling in love with Jaune and Yang finally realized that the whole thing wasn't some elaborate prank meant to trip them all up. Although the very notion that Jaune and Blake would play such a prank was absolutely ridiculous to begin with so in a way it was amazing it took Yang that long to come around at all.

Ruby Rose had been next, which this time Ren supposed made sense. After all, her big sister had been first so it was only natural that she wasn't far behind. It also certainly helped that of everyone she was the one closest to both of them. Everyone else had really only been able to see it from one side because they had never bothered to truly get to know the other as well as Ruby had.

Nora, of all people, was the next one to figure it out. She possibly could've been the first if she had even bothered to acknowledge it right away. She hadn't tried to though because she believed it impossible to work from the very beginning, just like she had thought of their own chances of having a relationship. It was because she had come to understand Jaune and Blake's relationship that she ever confessed to Ren in the first place and now the two of them were happily married with a child of their own.

Weiss Schnee, someone no one ever expected to get it, came to understand after she saw how happy the two of them were at the idea of starting a family. Her acceptance had been particularly surprising because she had never expressed any interest in knowing until after that happened. Apparently it was too dramatic a shift in the relationship for even her to ignore.

Pyrrha Nikos was the latest one to finally accept their marriage. Ren believed she might have never come around and for awhile it seemed like she wouldn't. Slowly and over time though, their children wormed their way into her heart and now she loved those three as if they were own. It was thanks to them that Pyrrha had finally managed to be happy for Jaune and his wife and let go of her past feelings. Like a true best friend she took time, but she remained by him all those years until she was finally able to come to this conclusion.

Even ignoring just them, countless others that had been absolutely baffled by their relationship had over time came to understand and accept their relationship, including Sun, Cardin, Velvet, and even their ever strict teacher, Glynda Goodwitch. With so many others having come to get it, Ren wondered why he hadn't ever bothered to really try himself. He supposed he had never attempted to understand it because he didn't ever really think it was important. So long as Jaune was happy, Ren would support him no matter what. Reasons weren't important. So he just allowed their relationship to continue all these years without ever trying to further understand it.

Now though, standing on the edge of the porch in Jaune's backyard and watching his child run around playing a game of tag with their children, he could finally say he got it. It was all so simple. He heard a click behind him and turned to see Jaune holding up his scroll in front of his face. He sat on a swinging bench that he had constructed himself, his wife next to him, her head leaning on his shoulder as they rocked gently back and forth, simply enjoyed the beautiful weather. A small book sat in Blake's lap that he hadn't noticed before.

"What was that?" Ren tilted his head curiously as Jaune grinned stupidly at his scroll. Ren had come to pick up his daughter and take her home after she had spent the night but the kids were still having so much fun he didn't want to break it up just yet. Besides, he didn't mind spending some quality time with his old leader and his wife.

"Wanna see?" Jaune asked as he spun the scroll around and Ren took a couple steps closer to look at it. It was a picture Jaune had taken, which explained the loud click his scroll had made; a photo of the children as they ran around and played tag with one another.

"That's nice." Ren nodded in appreciation. "What are you going to do with it?"

"We'll add it to the rest, of course." Blake patted the book in her lap and Ren quirked his eyebrow at it so she handed it up to him. "Here. Take a look." He accepted it and flipped the book open.

His eyes widened immediately at the sight. Nearly half the book was already filled to the brim with pictures of Amber, Blaine, and Kuro. They ranged from when the three of them were just born to things he knew must've happened last week judging by the timestamps at the bottom of the photos. It was an album of all the times the three of them had together, plus the occasional image of their happy parents mixed in. This book...it brought up a familiar scene from the library at Beacon, a scene that had happened ten years ago. One he had forgotten until now. Ren couldn't help it, he let out a small laugh as he looked at it.

Jaune and Blake glanced at one another because of his uncharacteristic reaction before Jaune looked back up at him. "What's so funny? Did I mess something up?"

Ren took a couple seconds to regain his composure as he waved Jaune's worries off with a dismissive hand. "No, no. It's just...this reminds me of something that happened a long time ago. Back when the two of you had just started dating." Yes, back then and even now the answer to why Jaune and Blake Arc had started dating and later married were all too obvious.

Remnant was an extraordinary place. So extraordinary that most people got swept up in it and ran forward, constantly in search of great adventure and accomplishing amazing feats. In the midst of doing all this though, Jaune and Blake had found comfort in a simple relationship which had led to simple lives. They took great joy in looking through something that others might find mundane, such as a photo album. It was for this reason that Blake had likely never gotten together with Sun and Jaune with Pyrrha. Blake and Sun's relationship had been built on the White Fang conspiracy. Jaune and Pyrrha's had been built on making him into a powerful Huntsmen. However, Jaune and Blake's relationship began when they met in a bookstore. Nothing more than that. Just something simple in a world of the extraordinary.

It may have taken him a decade, but today was the day he could confidently say now he understood.

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**End**

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**AN: **And I suppose that's that.

This story took quite the journey that I had never anticipated when I started it not even two full months ago. I just kind of posted a funny idea for a one-shot and left it open to add more in case more ideas ever struck that could be used in the same place. It wasn't until after I started writing the fourth that the idea for Weiss' chapter came to mind and that set it down this path that caused this story to mature in ways I couldn't imagine.

Still, it felt right to begin and end this story with Ren's perspectives so I'm really pleased with the way this whole thing turned out and I really hope y'all are too. Certainly there are a lot of missed opportunities, and perspectives that I could have done, but I think I reached the natural stopping point for the route this story took and I don't want to force in other perspectives unnecessarily just to fill a quota, partially because at that point I wouldn't really be into it and that wouldn't be fair to you or myself.

On that note, thank you to everyone for giving me so much support for such a simple story. I appreciate it immensely and I doubt I would've been able to take this story this far without all the excellent feedback I received from you all. These chapters jumped around a lot in tone and genre as they went but hopefully for the most part this story gave you some amusement. I know I got some writing it at least, so I guess we'll call that a win.


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